Tory MP to repay £200 in expenses
Friday 26th June 2009, 12:20PM BST.
Shrewsbury’s MP is to pay back £200 as part of a further £125,000 which Conservatives have agreed to repay following examinations by a party scrutiny panel.
Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, is paying back the cash relating to a household expenses claim.
It brings the total to almost £260,000 returned to the Commons authorities and HM Revenue and Customs by Tories since the expenses scandal began.
In addition, the Tory party said its MPs had agreed to forgo future second home allowances totalling £100,000.
Mr Kawczynski today said the money related to half the price of a £400 headboard, which he said he needed as he required a special large bed because of his height.
“It’s very important to scrutinise when things are done incorrectly,” he said.
“But what’s happened now is a bandwagon has started and there’s a media witch-hunt in my view on this issue which has forced people like Mr Cameron to examine every last facet of every last expenses claim.”
But he added: “I’m not going to argue with Mr Cameron’s panel.”
Party leader David Cameron said they were “taking a lead” by considering whether claims had been “disproportionate” and not just whether they fell within the rules. He stressed agreement to make a repayment did not indicate guilt or a breach of the rules.
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Come on Shropshire Star – be the first paper to publish a list of those who didn’t make claims, those who made claims within the rules and those who broke the rules, lets get some context on this – I’ve seen demands for this ignored, blatently, on TV – shouting MPs are bad people is easy (and its sunk in where people think they all are) – putting their badness in context is more difficult, please do it.
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I agree with DevilsChair, publish a full list of who has broken the rules, and treat them as we would be treated,if found fiddling our expense’s.Sacked, no pension, and possibly prision. What’s good for one?
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If a headboard has been ruled as not constituting a fair use of public money (and quite frankly why would it!? – he would need the headboard whether or not he was an MP so it isn’t helping him serve us) then why has Mr Kawczynski only had to pay back half of the cost? It is either a legitimate claim or it isn’t, or am I missing something?
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What about all the other furniture he had – where has it gone now he lives in a club? What about the accountant expenses to fill in his self assessment tax return – if his own party is making him pay back money he doesn’t seem quite so squeaky clean as he made out at his public meeting. It’s about time he and the others started showing some contrition. It’s no good complaining “it’s not fair” when they’re found out to be taking advantage of things – this time next year they (whoever wins the election) will be hammering us with taxes, public spending cuts and lecturing us to show restraint. They have got off lightly other people behaving this way would have been in Jail – and despite everything the Prison Service haven’t started supplying leather headboards yet…
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I can see the point DevilsChair is making, but even so, the real story IS still how ‘the system’ has been abused. And abused by a lot, not a few.
Mr Kawczynski had no real business claiming for a headboard just because “of his height”.
There is always some pathetic excuse isn’t there or attempt to justify this, isn’t there?
He should be paying back the full £400, not half. Not that that excuses having it on expenses in the first place.
As for the self-pitying squealing about ‘bandwagons’ and media ‘witch hunts’….Mr Kawczynski STILL (like most other MP’s caught up in this issue) doesn’t seem to appreciate that – ‘rules’ or not – the majority of the public think that this sort of claim is WRONG.
So pay it all back. And start looking for a new job to start in June 2010 maybe.
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“But what’s happened now is a bandwagon has started and there’s a media witch-hunt in my view on this issue which has forced people like Mr Cameron to examine every last facet of every last expenses claim.”
But not when it was applied to labour MPs before the elections?
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Well done Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, You have always been open to full disclosure of expences, and that you have paid back £200 in this way shows you to be an MP to be commended and not critisized.
I say again ‘Well Done Daniel.’
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ditto devils chair!
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It is ironic that Daniel is complaining about the media bandwagon – has someone taken his usual seat?
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The main thing that bothered me was the claim by Mr Kawczynski for Polish classes at £46 per hour as sneeked onto the very bottom corner of the front page of Shropshire Star June 19th, but missed out of the main artical on page 20.
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