http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8073014.stm

I'm sorry I thought his name was sooooooooooooo appropriate

He must go, this is a complete joke and so are his comments. [LIFTED]

Didn't the Conservatives say that anyone who falsly claimed in their party would be chucked out? If so, it's time to prove they have a bite, as well as a bark.

God, this whole business is just soooo tedious!
Anyone who hadn't sussed that the entire political "class" holds all us "ordinary people" in complete contempt has clearly not been paying attention. Until we disabuse ourselves of the Thatcherite notion that any kind of "ideology" (i.e Left-of centre) views are inherently old-fashioned and "wrong" then we are lumbered with Politicians who don't really believe in anything. OK, so Cameroon mainly wants the country to be run by Bankers and his ex-Etonian pals, and Broon by Scotsmen, but WHAT they want to do differs little...
When I were a young lad, you had Labour and Tories, Left and Right now all they have between them is that they say they'll run things "better" than the other lot....

+1

Have I missed something in the story or is it not actually there?

He was renting a flat from his daughter, as his 2nd home - ok, got that

During this time, he had a flat of his own - right...

He was not renting out his own flat to anyone else, so no extra income - fine


What I'm missing and it doesn't seem to have been asked, is WHY did he not live in his own place?

Relevant, yes - if his own flat was being renovated and therefore un-livable, then fine - he's got to live some place and so what if the money went to his daughter, as long as she charged only the going rate - and was not not also living there at the time - then the rent would have to be paid, either way

On the other hand, if his place was stood empty for no good reason other than to make some money for his kid - then boot him out

The word “renovated” is a loose term used to mean anything from having new carpets fitted to having the whole place gutted and rebuilt. It’s being used a lot in the hope that people will think of the latter not the former.

If the house I am in is “renovated” I will more than likely have to live in it while that work is carried out.

The added “X factor” here is a relative being paid rent for the property. To me, this sounds rather too convenient. There are far too may relatives benefiting from this scam at the moment.

He will claim, as do all the others, that he has done “nothing wrong”. I would like to point out that if his lifestyle cannot be afforded on the salary he has, then he is either in the wrong job, or living too extravagantly.

The best one I have read so far is one MP who claimed £12000 to have two vintage Beretta Shotguns overhauled.

£12000? Did they have to buy a brand new Ford Fiesta out of that to take them to the shop ?