A frugal MP?!

Just in case you’ve completely lost the faith in our political class, it’s well worth reading the profile of Philip Hollobone in today’s Independent.  Hollobone, remember, is the Tory MP who claims less than a third of the average annual expenses claim in the Commons.  How does he manage it?  Mainly by not hiring staff, and by keeping things pared down.  This passage is a good taster:

“‘It’s quite simple,’ [Hollobone] says, before starting up some rickety stairs. His work room is suitably spartan. Empty computer boxes sit in the corner. The whiff of damp from the dark patches on the wall fills the air. A chipped, dark table sits in the room’s centre. The walls are bare, save a lonely print of Winston Churchill.

Each day, he goes through the process of opening mail, replying to messages and arranging events with constituents.