So asks Ross Lydall over in the Evening Standard:
How many voters are ready to turn against their MP over the expenses scandal? A fascinating battle in a hotly-contested north London constituency looks set to provide some answers.
On one side is Labour whip Dawn Butler. On the other is Lib-Dem MP Sarah Teather. They have been thrown together in a new seat as a result of boundary changes, and there is now a fight to the death to see which one returns to Westminster after the election to represent Brent Central…
What Ms Teather, described as a “saint” by one newspaper for her expenses record, doesn’t say is that Ms Butler was one of the MPs shamed in last summer’s scandal.
Ms Butler has claimed £66,304 since being elected in 2005 for her constituency home in Wembley – despite having another property in Stratford. When the Standard challenged Ms Butler (left) on this by knocking on the door of her (publicly-funded) constituency home, she told our reporter: “I totally resent you coming to my private home. Have some respect. How dare you.”
(For a more detailed explanation of Dawn Butler’s controversial expense claims, including a link to a wonderful BBC TV report on the issue, see my earlier post.)
Of course Dawn Butler is no stranger to The Voice, what with the unfortunate incident of forgetting who your local MP is, the disappearing statement, questions over Dawn Butler’s attendance record in Parliament, not to mention Dawn Butler’s highly unusual approach to local newspapers, as demonstrated more than once.
I think the polite term for this is “accident prone”, though there was also the more serious issue of the Labour smear leaflet which resulted in successful legal action by the Liberal Democrats and Dawn Butler’s record of trying to block reforms to MPs expenses.
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7 Comments
Au contraire, young Mark.
I fear the emerging antics of Paul Lorber (currently Leader of Brent Council) in the Copland School affair will ensure Sarah Teather’s ambition to replace Dawn Butler is ‘holed below the waterline’ before it starts and that Ms. Butler will retain the seat by default…
Citations?
How about this then?
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Politics/Four-Liberal-Democrat-MPs-Caught-Out-In-Expenses-Inquiry-By-Commons-Standards-Watchdog/Article/201003315577249?lpos=Politics_Carousel_Region_2&lid=ARTICLE_15577249_Four_Liberal_Democrat_MPs_Caught_Out_In_Expenses_Inquiry_By_Commons_Standards_Watchdog
libdemguru – did you actually read the story before you posted the link? They all recognised the problem and reported themselves. Sky is attempting to put its usual “Fox News” spin on the story – but neither the Tory nor Labour MPs living in Dolphin Square have done anything about it.
But like most LibDems doesn’t St Sarah use her Incidental Allowance to subsidise the local LibDem office. Just because so many LibDem MPs do it does not make it right
Yes, i read the story!!!
Just because some Libdems have been caught with their hands in the cookiie jar, and then tried to make it look like they were ‘doing the right thing’ MEANS NOTHING!
The trick is not to do it in the first place!
The likes of Julia Goldsworthy £1500 on a rocking chair (she’s having a laugh at all of us!)
Two face, many of them!
So after the Dispatches episode tonight; I wonder how many Libdems have been ‘bought’???
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