Daily Telegraph: Expenses of party leaders revealed

GORDON Brown will today admit that the taxpayer has paid his grocery bills in the past, and David Cameron will reveal he has claimed tens of thousands in mortgage bills for his constituency home.

The information will be disclosed by the House of Commons Speaker, who has finally agreed to release some detailed information about MPs' expenses.

Since 2003, the Prime Minister also claimed money for his utility bills and extensive renovations at his Westminster flat, including the building of a nursery. He claimed for some groceries in 2005-06 but not in the previous year. The vast bulk of Mr Cameron's expenses went on paying a mortgage for his Oxfordshire home.

There is no suggestion that either Mr Brown or Mr Cameron have done anything wrong, although the revelations will raise further questions about MPs' expenses.

Under the present system, MPs are allowed to claim up to pounds 23,000 a year towards the cost of a second home. They have also been allowed to claim thousands of pounds for furniture and other household items on the so-called "John Lewis list''.

The release of the information will prove highly embarrassing to Tony Blair and John Prescott, who both claimed tens of thousands of pounds in expenses despite having lavish grace-and-favour properties.

Michael Martin, the Speaker, will today release details of

the expenses claimed by 20 MPs, including Mr Brown, Mr Cameron and George Osborne, the shadow chancellor.

The timing of the release - on the day after MPs left for their break - has led to allegations that the Speaker is trying to bury bad news. The announcement that the information was to be released was made at 7pm last night.

The expenses will be broken down by the type of claim - such as food, utility bills, mortgage interest or home repairs. There will not be full details of all claims, as has been demanded by the Information Commissioner. The Speaker will release similar details on all MPs later in the year.

A Westminster source said: "This is very significant. None of the MPs whose details are being released today have been on the fiddle. But there are dozens of MPs who are very worried today as they have been working the system for years.''

The revelation that Mr Brown has claimed for food was seized upon last night by campaigners who are pushing for a clampdown on MPs' expenses.

The committee charged with reviewing the system conceded earlier this week that the system which allows MPs to claim up to pounds 400 a month for groceries may be unacceptable.

Last night, Mark Wallace, the campaign director of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "It is amazing that a man earning well over pounds 100,000 a year felt the need to make taxpayers pay his grocery bill as well.''

Aides to Mr Cameron say he has not claimed for groceries. However, a Downing Street source said: "Food is a minor part of Gordon's claim. Cameron may say he doesn't claim for food but that is because he - unlike Gordon - already claims virtually the maximum on a very expensive mortgage.''

Comments

[Spammer]

The FOI Additional Expense Claims are out

Howard Claimed - £20,347.
Prescott - £20,057
Mr Sayeed - £18,618.
Blair - £15,490
Brown - £14,304.
Kennedy's - £12,869

Conservative leader
David Cameron claimed

** £21,293 **

OH DEAR

[Spammer]

Guarentee That the TPA say NOTHING about

Conservative leader
David Cameron claiming

** £21,293 **

[AlanofEngland]

Costs of a second home are to some extent acceptable, but it should be rent only. Otherwise there should be a capital gains element that should be repaid as a tax once the term as an MP is over. But buying their food just beggars belief, Menzies Campbell had 3700!! It is disgraceful and should all be repaid. An EDM by Frank Field and other HONOURABLE people should suffice.

[AlanofEngland]

Margaret Beckett Food/Provisions £2,520.00
Gordon Brown Food/Provisions £ 2,385.00
Menzies Campbell Food/Provisions £3,700.00
Mark Oaten Food/Provisions £2,856.66
George Osborne Food/Provisions £2,300.00
John Prescott Food/Provisions £2,882.14

Talk about snouts in troughs!!

[Steve Robson]

Trouble is if the TPA had even an ounce of honesty or integrity, they'd have to revise all that "14 Council Chiefs earn more than the PM" b***o*ks now. They include silly minor expense claims for Council Chiefs, so they'd better include major stuff like this for the PM. Of course in their mania for a cheap headline they do also forget to mention the house, country retreat and car that the PM gets as well. You'd think even the second rate researchers at the TPA would notice the existence of 10 Downing Street.

By the way, I do think our PM should get paid well and get a house, I'm not supporting the TPA line that we should pay the leader of the nation less than an average second division footballer and make him live in a caravan.

[Graeme Pirie]

The whole lot have their snouts totally immersed. I see the need for travelling expenses (although it should be done economically), and accomodation (yes it should be rent only whilst they are in london.

I want to know how Brown, Blair, Prescott and Martin can claim ANYTHING for second homes when we already provide them with one. I also want to know how Cameroon can claim for his main home.

Then there's Brown's cleaning - that's just taking the p*ss!

Finally - we need to know that these "expenses" are all treated by the Revenue as they would be for anyone else. Cleaning is not an essential - was Brown taxed on a benefit in kind?

[Stardrinker]

Hahhhh......I see the MP's are on benefits then ? What shall we call these ? Full Capacity Benefits ? After all Johny-boy had his Full Food Capacity Benefits humped and pumped within him - I hear someone else may have rolling around with him in a roll too!

And Tony had £116 in TV Benefits too ! - I should guess he watched Batman a lot after all he loved America and George's coat tails especially, and did anyone notice how George's shoes were always shiny when Tony was around ? Did the TPA check our whether boot polish was one of Tony's expenses ? Hah ! See the leads I am giving you lot!

I desperately want TPA to ask if these MP's were checked out by the Dept of WONK'S assessors....If not, should there be a Dept Of WONK created ?

Ahhhh but all this will go down quite well in the disability and mental health Users community who have been partly attacked by a Gov't advisor for being a black economy that works whilst on Incapacity Benefits . I HAVE THE SOLUTION ! LET THEM EAT CAKE ! WITH JOHN !

.

[Robert Tressell]

Moral Fraudsters all of them.Write to your Local MP,as i have,and Question them on Expenses,Allowances,And Second Jobs,watch them Squirm.Mine,A Conservative,wouldn;t even meet me at his surgery to discuss his allowances and his Lucrative second job!!As with Benefit "Cheats" they should advertise a phone number where we can shop our MPS to the Police for crimes against the people!!!!!