Lobbydog...

Tuesday 19 May 2009

Tory Chief Whip has a dig at shadow cabinet member?

It sounded like it today after Patrick McLoughlin found himself in an awkward position.

Last week David Cameron tasked the West Derbyshire MP to chair the Tory’s review committee – which will judge whether any Conservative MPs have put in excessive expenses.

But after details of McLoughlin’s allowances emerged in The Daily Telegraph yesterday he’ll now have his own claims reviewed by that very committee.

His allowances were by no means the worst, but he did receive thousands of pounds for maintenance and repair on his Derbyshire home over four years.

Defending himself today he told Lobbydog: “You need to find a balance with these things – I didn’t claim for gardening, I see that some people claimed for that, but I didn’t.”

It could of course be a swipe at fellow Derbyshire MP Margaret Beckett who famously tried to claim for plant pots and a pergola.

But far more profligate was pint-sized shadow leader of the house Alan Duncan – who “volunteered” to pay back some £5,000 in gardening costs last week.

The Chief Whip will be hoping Duncan doesn't add him to his hit list.

5 comments:

Jive5 said...

They have something in common of course - fossil fuels. Duncan is an oil man and McLoghlin a former coal miner. Note that neither of those are the future.

Anonymous said...

What's that man doing with his hands?

Oldrightie said...

Duncan will be gone sooner than Blears or other Labour fiddlers.

Gareth said...

Anon 08:18,

Have you seen The Matrix?

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