MPs still have snouts in the trough

Jul 20 2008 by Ken Oxley, Sunday Sun

APPARENTLY we should all be eternally grateful for the noble sacrifice made this week by our MPs . . . namely, the abolition of the so-called John Lewis list.

Instead of spending up to £24,000 a year of taxpayers’ money to furnish their second homes, they will now have to make do with a paltry £2400 a year. Poor lambs!

A step in the right direction, perhaps, but there’s still a long way to go down this road before we can claim to have real transparency in government.

It’s going to be a painful journey . . . and many MPs will have to be dragged kicking and screaming all the way.

Granted, they may have momentarily removed their snouts from the trough to take heed of public opinion. But that hasn’t stopped them squealing louder than Max Mosley at an S&M convention.

In fact, 172 MPs — 146 of them Labour — voted against sweeping reforms that would have subjected their expense claims to independent, external audits. I wonder why?

Is it any surprise that precisely how much MPs are entitled to claim back from the public purse remains unclear to most people? The only thing that is clear is that the system needs a major overhaul.

Drastically reducing the amount MPs are allowed to lavish on furnishings was a good start, but what about the vast profits they can make from property deals at our expense? At present, MPs can continue to claim up to £24,000 a year under the controversial “additional costs allowance”. So while the amount they can spend on furniture has been capped, they can still make up the difference by claiming back rent or mortgage interest on second homes.

You might think that’s fair enough . . . after all, not all MPs live within commuting distance of Westminster.

But is it right that MPs should be allowed to keep the profit from the eventual sale of their second homes when you and I have paid the mortgage interest?

In my view, this is a far bigger outrage than the prospect of them spending £350 of our money on a washing machine. Even with the economy in disarray, you can still expect to make a killing on the sale of property in the capital.

Surely that money should go back into the coffers of the Inland Revenue, not the pockets of some grasping politician.

Interestingly, the Scottish Parliament has stopped its MSPs from cashing in on second homes. Hopefully it’s only a matter of time before public pressure forces Westminster to follow suit . . . but don’t hold your breath.