Sunday 10 May 2009

BRIT MP'S UNDONE BY MOLES AND MANURE

We have been watching this story unfold with a great deal of interest and today the Sun has the gory details of the venal spending by British MP's across all parties.

They have claimed for things such as manure, kit kat bars, 5p supermarket bags to name but a few of the purchases politicians felt they had a right to claim for.

MP's are blaming the " system " for claiming expenses.

Here's a lovely list of some of the weird stuff they have purchased from the Sun.


MPs have put in claims for items from the common to the bizarre. Here we present our own ABC of greed.

A is for AGA: A Tory charged £160 for his annual Aga service.

B is for BREAD BIN: Labour backbencher claimed for a £20 one in 2007.

C is for CAT FOOD: One animal-loving female Conservative MP claimed 78p for two tins of Cesar Chicken and Turkey pet food and £3.69 for Iams Senior.

D is for DYSON: Animal vacuum cleaner, £299.99, claimed by a meticulous Lib Dem MP in 2005.

E is for ELEPHANT LAMPS: Two for £134.30, bought by well-known Tory front-bencher and EYELINER: £2.50, from Boots, bought by female Lib Dem in 2005.

F is for FARROW AND BALL PAINT: Charged by a Tory shadow minister as part of a £1,775 interior house painting claim for his home in the country.

G is for GINGER CRINKLE BISCUITS: 67p, bought by a peckish Labour backbencher in 2007.

H is for HORSE MANURE: One particularly wealthy Tory MP charged £10 for a bag of manure for his country retreat.

I is for IKEA CARRIER BAG: 5p, claimed by a Labour MP in his Scottish constituency and ICE CUBE TRAY: £1.50, bought by a former Labour Cabinet minister from M&S in 2008.

J is for JAFFA CAKES: £1.60 for two packs, charged by an outspoken junior minister in 2004 and JELLIED EELS: £1.31, claimed by Essex-based MP.

K is for KIT KAT: Bought from the minibar of a central London hotel by Labour minister Hazel Blears.

L is for LOO SEAT: John Prescott bought a pair in the space of a year for his constituency home.

M is for MAKE-UP MIRROR: £19.95, by Revlon, bought from John Lewis by a middle-aged female Labour MP and MOLES: Tory grandee asked £35 a quarter for a molecatcher at his country pile.

N is for NEEDLEPOINT RUG: Millionaire MP Barbara Follett claimed £528.75 for cleaning and repair of the ornate Chinese floor covering. She was granted £300.

O is for ODD JOBS: A Lib Dem frontbencher claimed for £77 paid for a handyman to fix a rope on his swinging chair and other small jobs.

P is for PIZZA WHEEL: £3, bought from a Bodum shop in Oxfordshire by Tory backbencher.

Q is for QUICHE DISH: Part of a 110-piece dinner set bought on eBay for £155 by a Labour backbencher’s wife.

R is for RATS: A well-heeled Labour MP claimed £199 a quarter for visits from Rentokil to deal with a rat and mouse infestation at her London home.

S is for SHAMPOO: £1.65, claimed by a balding Labour backbencher in 2007.

T is for TAMPAX: Two packs at £1.11 each, claimed by a male Conservative MP who lost his seat in 2005.

U is for UTENSILS: Potato peeler, £4.50, claimed by a member of the Tory front bench.

V is for VILEDA SUPERMOP: £4.99, claimed by a moustachioed Labour MP in 2005.

W is for WEED KILLER: £3.49, from Focus DIY, bought by a Labour MP and part-time handyman.

X is X-RATED MOVIES: Ordered by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith’s husband Richard, two for £10.

Y is for YUCCA PLANT: £9.99 from Homebase, bought by a home-loving Lib Dem member for his constituency home.

Z is for ZANUSSI OVEN: £337.18, bought by a knighted Conservative MP from B&Q in 2007

Guido is promising more soon as well

We particularly like the mole catcher, considering its apparently a deep throat mole that probably leaked the details to a media who are rightfully gorging on the salubrious details. Ahh such fun, such sport.

2 comments:

alex Masterley said...

They make our lot look like the last bastions of moral rectitude.

PaulL said...

Hmm. Depends what the policy is. Looks to me like you can claim your weekly grocery shop, but then have to claim it line by line in your expenses. Picking out items from the grocery shop and using them out of context might give the wrong impression. Say, the guy with the Tampax - maybe he keeps a pack in the cupboard in case a visitor is caught short? And maybe that is a legit expense of maintaining a home in London? Hard to say without more detail.