A London home that's not in London
I’ve been following the debate around second homes for MPs with some interest recently. My Labour MP defends the scheme and claims, despite the fact that Watford to London is commutable in well under the hour. Quite rightly, this has not proved popular with constituents.
Today, the Sunday Telegraph gives details of four MPs whose constituencies are within commuter distance of London and so claim for a second home which is neither in the constituency, nor in London.
One of the MPs named is Anne Main, Conservative MP for St. Albans. Now not a lot of people know that part of Abbots Langley parish – both civil and ecclesiastical – is in the constituency of St. Albans – in the form of the ward of Bedmond & Primrose Hill. Anne is a former councillor for Beaconsfield, where her family home has been for many years. The newspaper reports that she claimed the full £22,000 last year for a constituency home in St. Albans and for a second home in Beaconsfield. The curious thing is that Beaconsfield is further away from London than St. Albans.
This sort of claim may be within the letter of the expenses’ rules, but it’s certainly not within the spirit. Contrast this with LibDem MP for Kingston & Surbiton, Edward Davey. Ed has a home in Kingston and also a home in Dorset, where his wife Emily lives and works. However Ed does not claim the ACA allowance for a second home, stating “To use the ACA in this way is incredible. It may be within the law, but it’s like people doing dodgy tax deals which are just about legal but go against the spirit of the tax legislation. MPs should not just play within the letter of the law but also within the spirit of the law. The people opposing reform of this system are bringing democracy and Parliament into disrepute.”
I expect that Mrs Main will be in the paper soon, trying to justify this tax-free perk. I also expect that she will be replaced at the next General Election by LibDem Sandy Walkington.
Related posts:
- I don't really live in Watford because it's a long way from London, says town's MP
- Hypocrisy – alive and well and living in the Labour Party's second home
- Second home claim could mean a year in jail
Comments
13 August 2009, 10:37 am
[...] 13th, 2009 · No Comments Over a year ago, I blogged about the expenses claims for second homes submitted by my Labour MP and her Conservative [...]