The neverending saga of MPs and their expenses has been going on for some time now. Many news stories peter out after a while, but this one still has the potential to keep on going. This is largely because still more stories of expenses and monies claimed for various household items are coming out virtually every day.
And the items being claimed for are both small and large in nature too. There have been so many reports of ministers repaying various – but usually large – sums of money for ‘errors’ that have occurred that it is almost becoming a daily occurrence.
And if you have read the internet reports and newspapers that have surfaced in recent times, you will also have noticed that some MPs seem to have a liking for leather armchairs. These have variously appeared on several expenses claims, including those of Keith Vaz, who is the chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, as well as those of MP John Penrose, who is the MP for Weston.
There was quite a big difference in the amount that these two MPs claimed for their leather armchairs though. John Penrose put in a claim for Ј121.26 for a leather armchair which was capable of reclining. This was allegedly bought for the location where he worked. He has explained that the chair was for someone who relies on having a decent chair to use all day while at work.
As far as leather armchairs go, the money that John Penrose paid for his leather armchair – especially for a reclining one – was quite cheap in comparison with a lot of others on the market. Keith Vaz’s claim for two leather armchairs was a rather different amount though. He paid Ј2,614 for his leather armchairs – two in total – with a footstool as well. That’s a big difference, and it just goes to show how MPs expenses can be vastly blown out of proportion.
It’s no wonder that so many MPs have been claiming ‘mistakes’ were made, and they have been repaying money almost faster than they were claiming it in the first place. But these examples do show that it isn’t always just what they were claiming that makes a difference, but how much they were spending on the items they claimed for.
We all know that leather armchairs are expensive. They are invariably more expensive than many other types of armchairs you can get. But you don’t have to spend over a thousand pounds on each one. You can get leather armchairs that are a lot cheaper than this, which is why it begs the question of how so many MPs felt they had to buy almost the most expensive type of these items.
The main reason why so many people are upset at the actions of our ministers is because they have believed it is right to claim so much money for things like this. The sooner they realise that letting us foot the bill for such extravagant purchases the better.