Multi-millionaire St Helens MP and Tory turncoat Shaun Woodward has launched a scathing attack on MPs' expenses system, though he is in the fortunate position of being a man of independent means, or rather, he married an heiress!
The Labour MP, whose own expenses were published by the Daily Telegraph, branded the system 'rotten' and an 'unmitigated disaster'.
Mr Woodward's comments are some of the damning from a senior politician since the fuore errupted last week.
He said: "I think the public look at us right now and think we've all got our noses in the trough. Our profession looks shameful - it's embarrassing - and right now if I try and make almost any defence of our collective position or my position it looks terrible.
"We have to look at how taxpayers money is spent generally, so that means I think you should have the right to look at every single one of my receipts. I just want to say I'm sorry, because I think our profession is not made up of crooks, I think it is people who genuinely want to make life better for people."
The MP for St Helens South claimed £98,079 between January 2004 and June 2008 to help pay the mortgage interest on a London flat he stays in when Parliament is sitting and £3,814 towards his council tax. There is no suggestion of any Mr Woodward's claims broke Parliamentary rules.
According to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, one of Mr Woodward's assistants claimed 38p for a Muller Crunch Corner yoghurt and £1.06 for a pizza from Asda in St Helens in November 2004.
Receipts from an office supplier also reportedly revealed that Mr Woodward has regular orders for Family Circle biscuits, Gold Blend coffee, Tetley tea bags and Diet Coke.
However, although Mr Woodward, 50, whose wife Camilla is a member of the Sainsbury's grocery family, is entitled to a ministerial salary of £141,866, he only draws his MP's salary of £63,291.
He added: "We have an expenses system which is an unmitigated disaster. It has allowed people to do things which, when you hold back and look at it, look terrible. I don't think these people are crooks, I don't think they're bad people, these are good people trying by and large to do a good job, but the system we've got is rotten and has got to go."
An external review into the expenses system is due to be conducted before MPs' expense claims from 2008-2009 are made public this summer
Original Article Courtesy St Helens Reporter
Multi-Millionaire Sean Woodward St Helens MP Blasts Expenses System
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3 comments:
If he's a multi-millionaire why did he claim for his mortgage at all? Did he sell a house in Queen Anne's Gate in London before he bought the flat in Canary Warf? Did he sell the country house in his Tory constituency? If Esther Ranzen wants to stand for Parliament, why not against Sean? Oh, he worked for her. We deserve better
Sean Woodward talking about a disgrace to the profession?!
Just like every penny that we need from the government (for accessing higher education, caring for relatives...) has to be means-tested - why on earth do MPs deserve to live for free?
It was disgraceful how he jumped ship when it looked like Labour would win - will he be switching back again? What has he done for St Helens?
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/shaun_woodward/st_helens_south
Followed the whip - that's what - with clearly no insight into the impact on his constituency.
I am a registered unpaid full time carer witghin the St Helens constituency. i was born here and have lift most of My life here. I dearly love the town and am inexpre4ssably proud of My heritage here. However when I see the manner in which these MP's are behaving over the shamkbles in the press regarding their expense classims it causes Me to lose faitth in human nature. I do not point the finger at any one single individual I just feel completely let down by My own country - I am being made to feel like a second class citizen in My own country.
Rogue Lion
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