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Conservative claims £20,000 to paint house and other sleaze

By John Hirst

Conservative claims £20,000 to paint house and other sleaze

"A senior Conservative MP claimed more than £20,000 in housing expenses last year, explaining that he had to paint his property and remove moss from the garden".

"The rules also allow members to claim for television licences, council tax, parking permits, burglar alarms, security lighting, buildings insurance, maintenance, cleaners, furnishings and utility bills, as well as up to £400 on food a month. MPs do not have to declare publicly how the money is spent".

MP flown to Thailand by the taxpayer

"With first-class air travel, a suite in a five-star hotel and even elephant rides, their visit to Thailand has the hallmarks of the holiday of a lifetime.

But with the taxpayer picking up more than £3,000 of the bill, Barry Sheerman, the Labour MP for Huddersfield, and his wife, Pamela, were at the centre of a "junket" row yesterday as they sunned themselves in the Far East".

James Purnell's £20,000 tax trick

"JAMES PURNELL, a rising cabinet star, was plunged into a new row this weekend about MPs? expenses over his ownership of two properties.

The controversy centres on a flat that he bought in London before becoming an MP and his Manchester constituency home, which he acquired several years later. He was able to claim thousands of pounds of MPs? expenses on the London home and is accused of exploiting a tax loophole to avoid a huge bill on its sale".

Davis embroiled in row over £20,000 donation

"A senior member of David Cameron's Shadow Cabinet has been dragged into a fresh row over political funding after a Labour MP asked the elections watchdog to investigate a £20,000 contribution to his campaign team.

David Davis faces the prospect of an Electoral Commission inquiry over a substantial donation that passed through several hands and was declared by four people, including Derek Conway".

Will the one good apple in the otherwise barrel of rotten apples please raise his or her hand to be identified as the odd one out?

Full post as published by prisonlawinsideout on February 10, 2008 (boomark / email).