Tory MPs' expenses published

David Cameron's promised transparency reforms are coming into place with the publication of a list of almost all Conservative MPs' staff, employed family members, office running costs and travel/accommodation expenditure incurred by MPs outside of London.

Cameron said:

"Politicians need to do everything they can to regain the trust of the British people, and transparency has a key part to play in that process. We must show that we're spending taxpayers money sensibly and correctly. We are the first party to demand this information from our members, and our MPs are voluntarily revealing a much more detailed breakdown of their expenses than official rules require them to. I'm glad that we're leading the way."

You can download the "right to know" forms by surname: A-E / F-H / I-P / Q-Z

6.15pm: Greg Hands MP on CentreRight: Conservatives setting the agenda on MP and MEP ethics - but we need to go further still

7.30pm: Boulton: "Seven Tory MPs have gone against the wishes of their party leader and refused to publish their expenses for the last 3 months. Sir Paul Beresford, Bill Cash, Christopher Chope, Sir John Stanley, Anthony Steen, Nicholas and Ann Winterton have chosen to ignore David Cameron's call to "show that we're spending taxpayers money sensibly and correctly."

Comments

[activist]

I do not see either Winterton in this declaration.

Perhaps the party should consider imposing the whip on transparency.

[Steve Green (Daily Referendum Blog).]

There will be a few gasps at some of the claims, but as a member of the public I am very pleased to see this kind of transparency. Well done David Cameron.

[Andrew Woodman]

Doesn't seem too outrageous at first glance. It's interesting how some MP's have no staff in the constituncy. Doesn't bode well for being in touch with local issues.

[Not Jack Stone]

It's canny of David Cameron to focus on "transparency". One of my amusements is watching Gordon Brown trying to get his mouth around the word. The actions and the meaning are beyond him.

[support the strivers]

Remember these only cover a short period of the year.

Full marks to DC for taking the lead and realising that the country as a whole cannot abide this sort of petty Ancram-claiming-for-his-moss-removal sort of stuff.

Frankly, DC gets better and better - the right choice.

[watch the pennies]

i see david davis has refused to state his wife's salary band.....

[HF]

I suggest we start up a list of the 20 or so refuseniks. Here are a few spotted so far.

Christopher Chope
Ann Winterton
Nicholas Winterton

[Editor]

Good idea Hf, thanks

[HF]

ITV reporting that only 7 MPs refused and focused on the Wintertons.

That is better than the 175 indicated earlier as having complied.

It does look about time that the Associations that have re-selected the Winterton's were asked why.

[christina Speight]

Carry on fiddling while Britain burns !

Did you not read Cameron's long waffle in the Telegraph today - I notice the blog ignored it too!

[christina Speight]

Carry on fiddling while Britain burns !

Did you not read Cameron's long waffle in the Telegraph today - I notice the blog ignored it too!

[Sally Roberts]

I too have seen the ITV report that it is seven including the Wintertons. This is actually pretty good going and shows the Conservatives to be leading on the front foot when it comes to transparency.

[Andrew Woodman]

I wonder if Cameron might remove the whip from the Wintertons a few months before the election based on the various expenses matters.

[Sally Roberts]

Christina - please change the record! We know you don't like David Cameron but many of us do.

[activist]

Editor the list is on Boulton & co.

[Editor]

Thanks activist; I've added the Boulton list.

[substancenotprocess]

Shocked at people like Nick Wood earning 3000 per quarter per MP.

Surely that is a misuse of funds?

He is good at press handling but is no longer doing it for the party and how can each MP justify 12k per year?

Wouldn't it be more viable for them to use CCHQ press office?

[grumpy old man]

A big step forward for accountability. DC has greatly reinforced the public perception of his control over the CPP in a perfectly timed end-of-session move. The pressure on the magnificent 7 to fall into line will now be intense. Christina, give credit where credit is due. DC will get up to plenty you don't agree with, and a little generosity now will make your future constuctive criticism the more effective.

[HF]

I do not believe that any of these 7 refuseniks intend standing down at the next GE?

Paul Beresford 62, Bill Cash 68, Christopher Chope 61, John Stanley 66, Anthony Steen 68, Nicholas Winterton 70 and Ann Winterton 67.

[activist]

Update: Rosa Prince on Telegraph blogs reports that Bill Cash MP does intend to publish his expenses, he was just late, and Sir Paul Beresford MP has not published his because he does not claim any. So she says!

That puts a different light on things as far as those two MPs go.

[Sally Roberts]

I am not surprised to see Anthony Steen on the list. I once went for a job interview with him and found him rather strange. I suspect he found me likewise as he did not offer me the job!

[David (One of many)]

HF, I can't speak for any of the others, but I know that John Stanley was quite recently re-selected by his local party for the next election.

[Conand]

The refuseniks must be shown the error of their ways.

[Jake]

When there is a federal UK including the long overdue English parliament,I hope, after due debate amongst the people of England and the MEP's, it will be decided that MEP expenses will be routinely available on the internet.

Expenses to be claimable only to a pre-agreed and publiclised limit, of course!

And there must be no parliamentary pension scheme-MEPs must make their own arrangements just like most of the population have to.

Doubtless the British parliament at Westminster will cling on to its own grubby practices long after they have become indefensible. In the end they might , reluctantly, be embarrased by public disgust into following suit.

[Serf]

Will all new Conservative MPs have to agree to transparency?

Can these gravy train assengers be deselected?

Looking at the Wintertons in particular, are they not of an age when they should be spending more time with their grandchildren?

[Robert]

All this data is being published in October anyway if you did not already know. Before you all condemn the refuseniks you might find that those who have published are not so 'good value' as those that have! Beware of making cheap political gestures and taking what you perceive to be the moral high ground.Some of the comments on this post remind me how small minded and unrealistic some people are. And HF I find your 'ageist agenda' repulsive, particularly as a majority of voters will be older than boy Cameron and yourself. We have the usual brigade of people with amn agenda - Andrew Woodman would you like to elaborate futher on your comment @18.49?

[Robert]

All this data is being published in October anyway if you did not already know. Before you all condemn the refuseniks you might find that those who have published are not so 'good value' as those that have! Beware of making cheap political gestures and taking what you perceive to be the moral high ground.Some of the comments on this post remind me how small minded and unrealistic some people are. And HF I find your 'ageist agenda' repulsive, particularly as a majority of voters will be older than boy Cameron and yourself. We have the usual brigade of people with amn agenda - Andrew Woodman would you like to elaborate futher on your comment @18.49?

[HF]

Robert 07.08 "HF I find your 'ageist agenda' repulsive..."

I am not ageist but there is a problem with many of the generation of 60+ yr old MPs being out of touch with the expectation of voters on expenses. The voters of their generation do not look kindly on the John Lewis list etc. I listen to them on the doorstep.

The Wintertons are a prime example. At the end of the parliament after next, they will be approaching 77 and 74 years old. They will be of no use as Ministers and all they have done in recent years is cause the party embarrassment. If any more sleaze about them emerges then yes the whip should be withdrawn. Of course if they had any sense they would decide to stand down now with a little dignity left.

[HF]

08.38. Re Winterton's it should have stated at the end of the next parliament, circa 2015.

[London Tory]

@ HF - totally agree.

As Robert regularly appears on this site to defend the Winterton's- the Conservative Party needs to have a wider electoral appeal than Macclesfield and Congleton Robert, or haven't you noticed ?, perhaps he could explain to the rest of us why his parents declined to adhere to our leader's instructions.

Was it just the usual arrogance ?

[Sally Roberts]

"Update: Rosa Prince on Telegraph blogs reports that Bill Cash MP does intend to publish his expenses, he was just late, and Sir Paul Beresford MP has not published his because he does not claim any. So she says!"

I knew dentists were making far too much money these days....!!!

[Robert]

HF - as you well know and as has been explained before, most of their electors know they are in the bottom decile of MPs's expenses, they don't use the communications allowance and don't employ their family, I think what it is strange that you continue to draw out this subject. An agenda here maybe. Their expenses were published a few months ago and will be again in October. As has been said on another blog, the political chattering classes and media should really focus on the more important issues that this country faces. London Tory, as you have been so incorrect on other assertions you have made about the Wintertons and hide behind a pseudoymn I will ignore you - though the expression 'our leader' reminds me somewhat of the National Socialist Party. The move yesterday by the Tories is just a cheap political stunt ahead of the summer recess, a holier than thou approach. Issues of what the Tories would do with regard to the oncoming recession, the current level of high taxation ('share the proceeds of growth' - such twaddle!)and many other issues seem to be far more important to the 'man on the street'. Finally, they don't have explain anything to DC particularly after his behaviour!

[Andrew Woodman]

Andrew Woodman would you like to elaborate futher on your comment @18.49?

Posted by: Robert | July 17, 2008 at 07:04

Just a bit of guessing Robert, I just can't see Cameron wanting to go into the next election with the Winterton's in the background as a constant concern. My guess would be he makes the expenses a whip issue sometime next year and forces some MP's out as a 'whiter than white' gesture.

[London Tory]

@ Robert

Which 'incorrect assertion' would that be ?

That Sir Nick is excrutiatingly pompous ? The view of his fellow Conservative MPs I think you will find.

That Ann Winterton displays chronic bad judgement and a tactlessness that goes some way to explain our erstwhile label of 'the Nasty Party'. I refer you to her sacking from the Shadow Cabinet, and reasons behind it.

Perhaps you could now explain why the Winterton's declined to follow party instruction yesterday on expenses ?

[Sally Roberts]

London Tory - I've got no time at all for the Wintertons but I think with all due respect we are going round and round in circles here! In any event if "Robert" is in fact their son as someone I think has claimed, then comments like this are going to be genuinely rather hurtful and I think we should move on.

[HF]

What exactly is the point of the Wintertons other than providing a service to the other parties by damaging the image of the Conservatives?

The use of a Trust to shovel up the housing allowance which was heavily criticised by the Commissioner? Or

"Now the couple face further criticism for getting the Home Office to pay for the state-of-the-art alarm system at their home in Congleton, on the grounds that they are terrorist targets." Mail on Sunday.

http://tinyurl.com/5exhom

[HF]

These are the main people who Sir Nick is answerable to and seem (so far) happy with the way Sir Nick behaves. Do any of them read the papers. let alone read ConHome?

Macclesfield Conservative Association
West Bank Road, Macclesfield, Cheshire. SK10 3BT Tel: 01625 422848, Fax 01625 617066
E-mail: [email protected]

President =Mrs Mavice Ridgway MBE
Association Chairman =Cllr Mrs Elizabeth Gilliland
Deputy Chairman Political =Cllr Graham Evans
Treasurer =Mr Derek Boothman CBE
Deputy Chairman Membership =Val Lipworth

[Sally Roberts]

HF I should think that none of them have even HEARD of Conservative Home and I very doubt they read anything apart from the Telegraph or the occasional copy of Horse & Hound!

[Resident Leftie]

None of this matters while Ashcroft does not live up to his pledge.

[Cleethorpes Rock]

The Wintertons have long been an embarrassment to the party, and now need to have their parliamentary careers humanely euthanised before they do any more damage.

Dave needs to make publishing expenses a condition of receiving the whip. Those who fail to comply should be fired, deselected or both.

Dave can make some good gestures on this issue if he plays it well.