If however the commute is really too difficult I would suggest staying at a hotel. You could even expense that if required, I am sure that this would sufficiently reduce costs from the 100k+ you quoted above.

From

Unimpressed constituent

Reply|: MY overnight costs are not £100,000! That was the total cost, mainly staff. It meant I was the lowest cost Berkshire MP that year, and have since cut my costs further. This year I am charging nothing for overnight stays, as I made clear recently.

Reply: I did make an obvious mistake by submitting the same bill twice. All of us can make mistakes and should say sorry and rectify them as soon as we see them or they are pointed out.

Your comments and principles are commendable. Still I hold to the premise. That a police investigation is a must. This to determine if, or not, fraud has been committed.

Their excuse “within the rules” is not acceptable. Just as “ignorance of the law is no excuse.”

Immediate suspension with no further monetary gain as well a return of tax payer’s money. Must be implemented against those found guilty. Even if only stretching the rules they implemented.

Best wishes,

B. nicol

Good to hear.

Although I think it would be better for everyone if all MP’s had access to sensible, secure and comfortable overnight accomodation provided and maintained by the State, at no cost to MP’s.

This would then eliminate any thought that MP’s were in some way or another speculating on Property, to a degree at the Taxpayers expense.

You are indeed a model that many other MPs should follow.
I too am pleased the situatuion has been highlighted however, I feel very uncomfortable about the way the story has been managed by the media.
The drip drip drip way the Telegraph has chosen to cover the story has led to a witch hunt. Question Time last week was little more than a lynch mob.
The MSM appear to me, to have gone after Conservatives as if to try to discredit us.
Today Julie was forced to stand down by a combination of a petition championed by a member of the respect party and the main news channels. Neither of the main news channels made clear that the person organising the petition had her own political agenda.
We now have the spectacle of so called celebs looking at standing for election. We are in danger of ending up with a parliament we deserve!!

I see in today’s Wokingham News that Bracknell’s “bin baron” is thinking about standing to replace Mr Mackay, this in my opinion, if it were to happen, would damage the chances of a Conservative victory in the borough, as most people I speak to dislike the way he forces them to accept crazy bin policies. I hope the local association take this into account when selecting their next candidate.

Keep up the good work John and stay true to Conservative values!!

If other members went to the trouble of explaining rationally instead of trying to slug it out indignantly their constituents would most likely be understanding and appreciative. That, of course, is where there IS a rational explanation!

As Watergate and most other poitical scandals in the 35 years since have proved, it’s not necessarily the crime but the cover-up the media and public won’t tolerate.

TACKING SLIGHTLY…we read in Private Eye that…

“MPs have their own tax office – Public Dept 1 in Cardiff – which deals with sensitive tax files. The word among tax accountants is that the inspectors there, like officials in the discredited Fees Office, know better than to raise too many questions. What’s good enough for the Fees Office is likely to be OK in Cardiff. The MP cheats Bible is the ‘Green Book’ on salaries, allowances and pensions rules”.

We can’t help feeling that there’s a whole web of intrigue awaiting media and public scrutiny within the Fees Dept AND HMRC, Cardiff…

Well done DC, Julie and all those voters who applied pressure.

************************************************
10.11am 28th May

To DAVID CAMERON:

We have greatly admired your strong and decisive handling of this whole issue so far but the conclusion from all the above is inescapable.
Ms Kirkbride must and we now believe WILL agree to stand down by the weekend.
She has colluded with her husband on the maximisation of the family’s expenses income for years and her connection to him will always be an inescapable millstone.
In short you have no option if you wish to retain the support of your party and the electorate.
On a wider issue we understand that Sir Stuart Bell has revealed that ‘very high’ government interests pressurised the former Speaker to go to the High Court in the failed attempt to maintain secrecy. Harriet Harman has seemingly not denied this but we suspect the hand of the PM in this. This may well prove to be the other story of the weekend and prove to be the circuit breaker on the call for an early general election.