MP Opik fighting return of expenses
Monday 1st February 2010, 12:03PM GMT.
Mid Wales MP Lembit Opik is among 70 politicians who are fighting a ruling that they should return some of their taxpayer-funded Commons expenses.
Seven members of the Government, two Conservative front benchers, 15 former ministers and a former party leader have appealed against Sir Thomas Legg’s demands for repayment.
Mr Opik’s name appeared in a list published ahead of Sir Thomas’s report on the MP’s expenses scandal, due out on Thursday.
The list includes 35 Labour MPs and former Labour MPs, 30 Conservatives, three Liberal Democrats and two independents. Among them are MPs who made some of the highest-profile claims, including £1,645 for a duck house.
It is believed Sir Thomas’s report will be explosive because it will identify more than 300 MPs – nearly half of those in Parliament – who will be told that their claims were “improper”.
Mr Opik today declined to comment on the reports.
In December, it was revealed Mr Opik claimed £6,655 as a final payment to builders for home improvements. The claim, which was made in dollars, was for a new built-in wardrobe with mirrors, wooden floors and new light switches.
Earlier, Mr Opik had been forced to pay back £2,499 for a 42in plasma television.
In an exclusive interview with Shropshire Star, Mr Opik described MPs’ expenses as a “secret salary”.
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Well, he’s no doubt saying that at the time he made the claims, there was nothing to say he couldn’t claim what he did. I have a tiny bit of sympathy with him there. But I don’t think he’s doing himself much good fighting this, I can’t imagine his constituents are that impressed.
As for a video entitled “Lembit Opik and media intrusion”, I think he’s got a bit of a nerve when he has been known for courting media attention repeatedly – when it has suited HIM!
If he actually gets re-elected, I should think it would only be because there’s no one else in Mid Wales worth voting for. If he had any shame at all he’d have announced his ‘retirement’ anyway.
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“Secret salary”? Ho ho! On top of the £64,700 MP’s salary he already gets (plus goodness knows what else)?
I guess the money is for all the extra ‘work’ he does – party-going, hobnobbing, numerous farcical TV appearances and providing acres of material for celebrity columnists. It’s a wonder he has time to do any of the Parliamentary work that we pay him for.
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What? “The claim for £6655 for home improvements was made in DOLLARS?” I assume that means US Dollars and not some new local Welsh trading currency.
And if so, which local company is now billing its British MP clients in a foreign currency
At least one has to assume that it was a British company, for that seems to me to be the only option when British taxpayers are being asked to cough up for the services supplied to a British MP.
What a bizarre thing to do. Sounds like a damning indictment of the weakness of the Pound Sterling if British companies feel the need to bill their clients in dollars – something I’m more used to seeing happen in third World countries like Zimbabwe as the currency plummets.
Dear me, what next? MP’s demanding that their salaries are paid in gold bars?
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Lembit Opik, fortunately is not my MP, had he been, I would have been an active campaigner against him for any other candidate in the forthcoming elections. I look at him and then realise that my cynical, jaundiced, contemptuous feeling with regard to MPs are fully justified.
“Secret salary” indeed, this approach to public monies would perhaps account for his “anything goes” parliamentary expenses claims.
If his constituents are not thoroughly insulted by his performance then they deserve the man.
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The other bizarre thing about Mr Opik is that in the face of all these various allegations – some of which never seem to get reported by the Shropshire Star for some reason! – is that he nearly always ‘declines to comment’.
Perhaps someone should remind him that he is supposed to be a public servant. These allegations involve public money and that – actually – he doesn’t really have the right “not to comment”!!!!
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Its time the Fraud Squad were called in to investigate all these doubtfull claims, or are all MP’s above the law
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I suspect nothing much is going to change, seeing as all parties are at it. Of course, the crucial issue for MPs is that – technically, if not morally – most of these expenses were claimed and paid according to the rules at the time (ie: there weren’t any!) so calling in The Law would be a waste of time…
But they sure as heck deserve it.
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I dont like this mp, and never have. However, to my knowledge he is the first to actualy admit the problem. Years ago, there were issues with mp’s getting pay rises, the pay rises became less, however, the rules on expenses was relaxed to allow this secret/secondary salary. Im not defending it, and think it is shocking, however, at least someone is actually getting close to the truth !
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I agree partially with ‘confused’: the problem is though that in supposedly being ‘honest’ about the problem, Mr Opik still thinks its accemptable to milk the system.
OK, he calls for it to be changed, but it’s a fairly half-hearted call – and if the system *isn’t* radically revamped in the coming months (as it may well not be, if they think the public will forget about it), he no doubt *won’t* be at the front of the queue reminding MPs that they’ve got to push for the system to be overhauled as has been promised.
‘Carry on freeloading’ in those circumstances, eh?!
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Jeepers, you are correct.
Him “admitting” it was just one very small step, will there be any lager steps to follow ? I very much doubt it!
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