Alan Duncan, the Conservative frontbencher, has been accused of hypocrisy after he was secretly filmed complaining about MPs’ reduced standard of living, following the expenses scandal, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Tory leader David Cameron is said to have taken “dim view” of Mr. Duncan’s protest that MPs were being forced to live on “rations” and had been treated like “s---”.
Mr. Duncan’s future as shadow leader of the House of Commons is now in the balance, after some senior Tories privately expressed the hope that he would be sacked.
They said that David Cameron’s firm stance on the expenses scandal risks being undermined after Mr. Duncan’s outburst, the Times Online reports.
Many conservative colleagues spitted blood over Mr. Duncan’s thoughtless indiscretions. One said Mr. Duncan was “skating on thin ice”. Others have said his long-term prospects are now under scrutiny, because of Mr. Cameron’s hard-line attitude towards colleagues stepping out of line.
Mr. Cameron and William Hague, Shadow foreign secretary, in charge of the leader’s absence, were reported to be angry and embarrassed by the affair.
Philip Webster, the Times Online political editor, writes that the remarks were recorded by Heydon Prowse, a video journalist and magazine editor. He used a button-hole camera during a visit to the House of Commons.
On the video, Mr. Duncan said: “No one who has done anything in the outside world, or is capable of doing such a thing, will ever come into this place (the House of Commons) ever again, the way we are going. Basically, it’s being nationalised. You have to live on rations and are treated like s---.
“I spend my money on my garden and claim a tiny fraction on what is proper. And I could claim the whole ------- lot, but I don’t,” according to the Daily Telegraph.
Interestingly, Mr. Duncan defended his remarks by suggesting that he had been joking. “The last thing people want to hear is an MP whinging about his pay and conditions,” he said. “It is a huge honour to be an MP and my remarks, although meant in jest, were completely uncalled for. I apologise for them unreservedly.”
Mr. Prowse said in the Metro: “What we captured was the general prevailing attitude that he didn’t take the whole expenses scandal particularly seriously. It was all a bit of a joke.”
Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, said: “Alan Duncan is very fond of speaking a good game publicly, but in private talking and acting differently. So I’m not surprised he has been found out.”
When Mr. Duncan was recorded he was not in the vision, but his voice can be clearly heard, and the film was posted on the Don’t Panic website at the end of the last month.
Showing posts with label MP expenses scandal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MP expenses scandal. Show all posts
Thursday, 13 August 2009
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
MPs’ expenses boss got pay rise reports say
The man who oversaw the discredited MPs’ expenses system got an 8% pay rise last year, Commons accounts show, according to the BBC.
Andrew Walker, the Director of Resources’ salary rose from a band of £115,000 - £120,000 to £125,000 - £130,000.
Mr Walker was criticised after playing an active role in trying to prevent the publication of MPs’ expenses, according to the politics.co.uk.
Last year, he was the official who defended the Commons’ position at an information tribunal, when it was resisting publishing full details of MPs’ expenses claims.
When details were eventually published, after being leaked to the Daily Telegraph, many MPs justified their claims by saying they had within the rules and agreed by Commons Fee Office, says the BBC.
However, the MPs’ “excuse” that strongly replies on their previous fee agreement with the Commons Fee Office had further undermined his position, says the politics.co.uk.
The increase of payment of Mr Walker comes at a time when others in public sector are seeing their annual salary restricted to only about 2%.
The salary increases have to be approved by a senior pay panel.
The BBC political correspondent Carole Walker said it was unclear whether the rises were agreed under the previous Commons speaker Michael Martin, who stepped down following the expenses row, or had been voted upon more recently, since officials vowed to clean up the system.
Amid public furore over some of the claims made under MPs’ second homes allowances, new interim rules were brought in to limit their use and an independent inquiry is currently considering what changes need to be made, says the BBC.
Malcolm Jack, the most Commons official, has now got an 11% rise which means he currently earns more than the Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
His pay rose from a £170,000-£175,000 band to £190,000 to £20,000 to £25,000, according to the BBC.
The biggest rise went to Joan Miller, who runs Parliament’s IT systems. Her pay rose from between £90,000 and £95,000 to a pay band of between £105,000 and £110,000, says the BBC.
The MPs’ expenses scandal was sparked after weeks of Daily Telegraph’s revelations on what MPs had claimed for their second homes expenses when they attend Westminster sessions instead of staying at their constituency home.
According to the Daily Telegraph, some of the MPs even claimed for DVDs renting fees, garden reparation fees, house utility bills, which utterly angered the general public, who condemned those MPs were wasting their – taxpayers’ money.
Andrew Walker, the Director of Resources’ salary rose from a band of £115,000 - £120,000 to £125,000 - £130,000.
Mr Walker was criticised after playing an active role in trying to prevent the publication of MPs’ expenses, according to the politics.co.uk.
Last year, he was the official who defended the Commons’ position at an information tribunal, when it was resisting publishing full details of MPs’ expenses claims.
When details were eventually published, after being leaked to the Daily Telegraph, many MPs justified their claims by saying they had within the rules and agreed by Commons Fee Office, says the BBC.
However, the MPs’ “excuse” that strongly replies on their previous fee agreement with the Commons Fee Office had further undermined his position, says the politics.co.uk.
The increase of payment of Mr Walker comes at a time when others in public sector are seeing their annual salary restricted to only about 2%.
The salary increases have to be approved by a senior pay panel.
The BBC political correspondent Carole Walker said it was unclear whether the rises were agreed under the previous Commons speaker Michael Martin, who stepped down following the expenses row, or had been voted upon more recently, since officials vowed to clean up the system.
Amid public furore over some of the claims made under MPs’ second homes allowances, new interim rules were brought in to limit their use and an independent inquiry is currently considering what changes need to be made, says the BBC.
Malcolm Jack, the most Commons official, has now got an 11% rise which means he currently earns more than the Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
His pay rose from a £170,000-£175,000 band to £190,000 to £20,000 to £25,000, according to the BBC.
The biggest rise went to Joan Miller, who runs Parliament’s IT systems. Her pay rose from between £90,000 and £95,000 to a pay band of between £105,000 and £110,000, says the BBC.
The MPs’ expenses scandal was sparked after weeks of Daily Telegraph’s revelations on what MPs had claimed for their second homes expenses when they attend Westminster sessions instead of staying at their constituency home.
According to the Daily Telegraph, some of the MPs even claimed for DVDs renting fees, garden reparation fees, house utility bills, which utterly angered the general public, who condemned those MPs were wasting their – taxpayers’ money.
Thursday, 11 June 2009
MP expenses scandal
The most outrageous and appalling embarrassment among the "gentlemen's club" in UK politics was the recent MP expenses scandal, which was leaked by Daily Telegraph.
What is all about
The MPs in UK parliament are allowed to claim expenses on their second homes - the places they stayed when they attend Parliament in London rather than their constituency home.
However, in the last few months, the Daily Telegraph unveiled a list of goods that the MPs claimed, which are far more unusual than the normal things we could imagine.
People are furious towards MPs' outrageous behavious as all the taxpayers' money are just wasted, they claim that they want their money back, they want those ridiculous MPs to step down, and they want to chose someone who is really caring about taxpayer's money.
At least, there is freedon of speech
MP expenses scandal are wildspreaded in every single corner of the UK, people talked and discussed it wildly. I think at least, to some extend, people are able to speak out and not afraid of talking things, which are trully crucial and important for a society.
I'm not sure how the things would be settled in undemacratic countries, which I do believe this kind of corruption exist.
What is all about
The MPs in UK parliament are allowed to claim expenses on their second homes - the places they stayed when they attend Parliament in London rather than their constituency home.
However, in the last few months, the Daily Telegraph unveiled a list of goods that the MPs claimed, which are far more unusual than the normal things we could imagine.
People are furious towards MPs' outrageous behavious as all the taxpayers' money are just wasted, they claim that they want their money back, they want those ridiculous MPs to step down, and they want to chose someone who is really caring about taxpayer's money.
At least, there is freedon of speech
MP expenses scandal are wildspreaded in every single corner of the UK, people talked and discussed it wildly. I think at least, to some extend, people are able to speak out and not afraid of talking things, which are trully crucial and important for a society.
I'm not sure how the things would be settled in undemacratic countries, which I do believe this kind of corruption exist.
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