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What your MPs claim on expenses

June 18, 2009

DETAILS of MPs' expenses claims were finally published by the House of Commons - but with much of the detail that led to a public outcry blacked out.

The release of tens of thousands of claim forms and receipts on the Parliament website more than a year after the High Court ordered their publication is likely to lead to demands for greater openness.

Click on the links for details of each MP's expenses:

Manchester Withington - John Leech

Manchester Central - Tony Lloyd

It is impossible to identify many of the abuses which came out as a result of the earlier leak of the same material to the Daily Telegraph before crucial details were blacked out, or 'redacted'.

There are no addresses for MPs' homes, meaning it would have been virtually impossible to identify so-called “flipping”, whereby MPs switch the designation of their second properties to maximise their claims.

Also redacted are the names and details of people and companies to whom payments were made using expenses.

Correspondence between MPs and the Commons Fees Office has also been removed.

Today's official publication covers printed documents and receipts relating to MPs' claims between 2004/05 and 2007/08 for a series of parliamentary allowances, but with many personal details redacted.

These include claims under the £24,000-a-year additional costs allowance, which reimburses MPs for the cost of having to maintain a second home while serving at Westminster; the £22,000 incidental expenses provision, which pays for running an office; and the £10,400 communications allowance, which covers the cost of newsletters and websites to inform constituents about their activities, as well as details of expenditure on stationery and postage.


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Most recent user comments 9 of 9

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   So we will agree to differ....so what has Lucy Powell got to say?

As far as I'm concerned John Leach, local man, who understands what happens round here, is good enough for me.

And, I'm sorry, I HAVE to compare him with everyone else....there again, maybe you want to get rid of all MPs.
Groucho F,
23/06/2009 at 22:15 Offensive or Inappropriate?
   to suggest his claims are reasonable becuase he claimed less than other MP's is simply rediculous. i'd love a 4 slice Dualit Toaster at £165 on company expenses - it's the most expensive toaster John Lewis sells! he's got good taste - at last when the public foot the bill.
Andrew Chambers
21/06/2009 at 23:27 Offensive or Inappropriate?
   Two points....1) if his expenses are unreasonable, why the deafening silence from everyone, incl the prospective Labour candidate and 2) compare his claims with everyone else's....start with G Kaufmann....or G Stringer....then reconsider.
Groucho F,
19/06/2009 at 22:05 Offensive or Inappropriate?
   They are hardly 'ridiculously excessive' when you think what he could've claimed. In fact his ACA for this year and last put him right near the bottom of the list of MPs' claims.

Good on him if you ask me - how many other people can honestly say they would have claimed as little has he did?
Keeping an eye on Kaufman et al, Didsbury
19/06/2009 at 17:30 Offensive or Inappropriate?
   How on earth the earlier post can suggest the expense claims of John Leach are reasonable beats me. Additional Costs Allowance claims from 05/06, 06/07 & 07/08 are ridiculously excessive. They can be viewed easily here .. http://mps-expenses.guardian.co.uk/mp/327/ Take a look, make some copies, ask Leach for some explanations.
Andrew Chambers
19/06/2009 at 11:26 Offensive or Inappropriate?
   It is abundantly clear to anyone with a scintill of sense that our MP John Leech has been moderate with his claims.

Were it otherwise, I suspect we would have heard by now from the prospective Labour candidate.

If I were living in Gorton, I'd be suggesting an OAP home (with a TV) for the dreadful Kaufmann.

Groucho F,
18/06/2009 at 17:04 Offensive or Inappropriate?
   Thanks Lee. I appreciate that, but I do think that to give the story context a link to more MPs should be included. All makes interesting reading!
Keeping an eye on Kaufman et al, Didsbury
18/06/2009 at 16:24 Offensive or Inappropriate?
   @ "Keeping an eye on Kaufman et al" - this article relates to MPs in the south-central Manchester area, the patch which this paper covers. For north Manchester details you need to go to the sister website - www.nemadvertiser.co.uk
Lee Swettenham, MENWN Website editor,
18/06/2009 at 14:17 Offensive or Inappropriate?
   Why only the links to John Leech and Tony Lloyd's expenses? It's hardly fair to single them out, especially since, as far as I can tell, they've been quite reasonable in their claims. Where's Kaufman and his £8k TV for example??

Add the other Manchester MPs!
Keeping an eye on Kaufman et al, Didsbury
18/06/2009 at 14:05 Offensive or Inappropriate?
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