The holes in Jacqui Smith’s justifications
Jacqui Smith is claiming that her use of the second homes allowance was “fair and reasonable” because it is in the “it’s the nature of the job of being an MP that they have to live in two houses.”
Yes, that is true. But you weren’t furnishing and running two properties. You were furnishing and running one property and “living” in your sister’s spare room. If you had been claiming market-level rent for that room, there would have been no problems. But instead you cheated the system and defrauded the taxpayer.
And her excuse for claiming £10 worth of porn?
When you put in a claim and you put in a receipt on which there are a number of items, obviously people can pick out one of them and say ‘why did you claim for that?’ but that is because you put in the whole of the receipt.
So you don’t even look at the expense claims you submit? So you’re not corrupt but just incompetent, eh? Yeah, because that’s so much better.
Categories: All WW, Parliaments, Political Blogging
What sickens me in Jacqui Smith’s case is that we’re all paying for things that she would normally have bojught anyway for her family home. She lodges with her sister during the week so whilst she may well be quite generous with what she gives her (she damn well ought to be) there are no equivalent costs to actually keeping 2 separate establishments going. I resent paying for barbeques, TVs, plugs and everything else that she has charged to run what is the family home whatever administrative regulations might allow.
This tells me she is either corrupt or totally ignorant of proper use of public money; whichever she is patently unfit for office particularly so in presiding over ethical standards for the police say.
Resignation shouldn’t be allowed. She should be sacked as she would be anywhere in normal employment.
Well said. I think she got off far too lightly in the Channel 4 interview. Why was she allowed to live within a couple of miles of a grace and favour house which has been standing empty since she decided she’d prefer to stay with her sister?
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