http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11255930

It does seem a bit of a mad one no matter how you look at it

He totally overreacted. During the expenses scandal the details were coming out from official records. It does look like he has taken himself far too seriously. As a minister everything he has ever done will get scrutinised, so to over react like that does show a serious lack of judgement.

Remind me again...

A millionaire MP claims for expenses.

Why?

or use the information collected by the private detectives as a tactic to make sure every/any body remains quite especially about the thousands that he claimed for an au-pair/cleaner ...



http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010 ... ign-spying

just another tainted MP that has their snout in the trough at that pig sty called parliament ...

He clearly overreacted and showed bad judgement. Cameron should let him go as a minister because of that.

Not with Coulson still running about he can't - we'll have no mention of bad judgement, thank you!

Well if the expense is work-related I don't see why not, regardless of personal circumstances.

What he said. Let's not bring some sort of bank balance envy into this. If the payment is one that would be expensed anywhere else, it's fair for it to be expensed to MPs. It's only when they are expensing things that the rest of us would have to pay for out of our own pocket that they get into trouble.

It is the I will get this paid for by the tax payer and the tax free profits on the state sponsored second homes that annoyed people. It was the sense of entitlement that also annoyed the public.

There was a degree of that in my comment, I admit. However, isn't there also a moral aspect to this?

Claiming for a cleaner/au pair was fine under the old rules, provided it was materially tied to running your constituency and going about your business as a member of Parliament. If it was claimed for purely because you can is a different matter - especially when you are well able to afford it out of your own means anyway.

I know it sounds pompous, but I don't think I'd have claimed for such things had I been in his position. With plenty of cash available, why claim it as an expense? It's as bad as tax avoidance schemes and such.