Crunchtime for Darling

Oh dear.  The pressure really is on Alistair Darling now.  After the revelations about his serial flipping, today’s Telegraph flags up another potential misdemenour on the Chancellor’s part: that he claimed parliamentary expenses on a south London flat which he rented out, while also claiming second home allowances for his grace-and-favour properties.  Not only does this look plain bad for a minister who is supposed to be guiding the country through a recession, but – as the Telegraph puts it – it “would appear to contravene parliamentary rules that allow MPs to claim on only one property at a time.”

The spotlight now falls on Gordon Brown.  What will he do with his Chancellor, especially if it’s the case that rules have been broken?  In an odd way, the situation is probably helpful and unhelpful for the Dear Leader.