Angry Cameron turns on expenses MPs
By politics.co.uk staff
The threat of disciplinary action hangs over the heads of Conservative MPs this morning after the latest wave of expenses revelations damaged the party.
Tory leader David Cameron has even threatened to remove the whip from those MPs he believes are guilty of serious wrongdoing, it has been reported.
A Conservative spokesperson told the Guardian newspaper: “David Cameron can, with the agreement of the chief whip, remove the party whip from these people; and there is no doubt he will do this if he thinks it is appropriate.”
Today’s news in the Telegraph, the newspaper which has mounted a sustained campaign of revelations about senior politicians since last Friday, focused on excesses by senior backbench Tories.
Michael Ancram claimed over £14,000 a year in expenses for three homes, none of which have a mortgage.
This morning he saidL “I’ve said I made a mistake about a swimming pool bill and I’ll repay that. Otherwise they were all for maintenance of the second home property.”
Former shadow home secretary David Davis spent £5,700 on a new portico for his Yorkshire home.
And former agriculture secretary Douglas Hogg submitted a claim for over £2,000 for his moat to be cleared, the newspaper said.
Mr Hogg has disputed this, however, saying that – while the cost of the moat-clearing appeared on his expenditure – he never claimed for it.
The overwhelming impact of the releases will reaffirm perceptions since Friday that MPs have used the allowances system excessively, however.
David Heathcote-Amory was revealed as the MP who submitted claims for horse manure.
His gardener’s 19 receipts over a three-year period together came to £388.80. Other items claimed by the Wells MP included mouse poison, sunflower seeds and a wheelbarrow puncture.
