On this page, which LDV will update as we receive information, we will publish the details of Sir Thomas Legg’s findings as they relate to the Lib Dems’ 63 MPs. Please email [email protected] to let us know anything we’ve missed:
* Danny Alexander, Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, 2005 – present … Repaid £125 claimed for financial advice on his mortgage and has also been asked to submit further copies of domestic utility bills. Paid back in full.
* Norman Baker, Lewes, 1997 – present … Clean bill of health.
* John Barrett, Edinburgh West, 2001 – present… Clean bill of health
* Alan James Beith, Berwick-upon-Tweed, 1988 – present
* Tom Brake, Carshalton and Wallington, 1997 – present… Clean bill of health
* Colin Breed, South East Cornwall, 1997 – present … “The letter requests further documentation in support of mortgage interest claims, which Colin will provide once received from his Bank.” Further information requested.
* Annette Brooke, Mid Dorset and North Poole, 2001 – present … “I have been asked to repay £238.78 which covers a period in 2004 when I claimed on the wrong form. It’s not an invalid claim. They are asking for more information relating to my rent which is surprising, but I have the information so I am not worried about that.” Asked to repay £238.78.
* Jeremy Browne, Taunton, 2005 – present
* Malcolm Bruce, Gordon, 1988 – present
* Paul Burstow, Sutton and Cheam, 1997 – present… Clean bill of health
* Lorely Burt, Solihull, 2005 – present
* Vincent Cable, Twickenham, 1997 – present
* Menzies Campbell, North East Fife, 1988 – present … “I will be writing to Sir Thomas to seek further clarification about the terms of his letter. If the final recommendation is that any sum requires to be repaid I will do so.” Seeking clarification.
* Alistair Carmichael, Orkney and Shetland, 2001 – present
* Nick Clegg, Sheffield Hallam, 2005 – present … £910, claimed for gardening. Paid back in full.
* Edward Davey, Kingston and Surbiton, 1997 – present… Clean bill of health.
* Tim Farron, Westmorland and Lonsdale, 2005 – present… Recommended payment of £235, representing part of the removal costs Tim incurred when he moved flat 18 months ago in order to reduce the amount of rent he was paying. Paid back in full.
* Lynne Featherstone, Hornsey and Wood Green, 2005 – present … Clean bill of health. Tweet 13 Oct: “Got ‘the letter’ yesterday – all clear.”
* Don Foster, Bath, 1992 – present … Recommended repayment of c.£900 pa since 2005 on mortgage of one-bedroom flat. Paid back in full.
* Andrew George, St Ives, 1997 – present
* Sandra Gidley, Romsey, 2000 – present… Clean bill of health
* Julia Goldsworthy, Falmouth and Camborne, 2005 – Asked to “provide a mortgage statement for the year 2004-05. I will be contacting him immediately to request clarification, as I was not elected as an MP at that time.” Seeking clarification.
* Mike Hancock, Portsmouth South, 1997 – present … Office says: “asked to provide more info on his mortgage payments”. Further information requested, but not asked to pay back any money.
* Evan Harris, Oxford West and Abingdon, 1997 – present… Seeking clarification
* Nick Harvey, North Devon, 1992 – present … Asked to supply more information over morgage claims. Seeking clarification.
* David Heath, Somerton and Frome, 1997 – present
* John Hemming, Birmingham Yardley, 2005 – present … Clean bill of health.
* Paul Holmes, Chesterfield, 2001 – present
* Martin Horwood, Cheltenham, 2005 – present… Clean bill of health
* David Howarth, Cambridge, 2005 – present … Clean bill of health.
* Simon Hughes, Southwark and Bermondsey, 1988 – present
* Chris Huhne, Eastleigh, 2005 – present … £1,152.05 for gardening claims. Will repay in full.
* Mark Hunter, Cheadle, 2005 – present… Clean bill of health
* Paul Keetch, Hereford, 1997 – present
* Charles Kennedy, Ross, Cromarty and Skye, 1988 – present
* Susan Kramer, Richmond Park, 2005 – present… Clean bill of health
* Norman Lamb, North Norfolk, 2001 – present … Tweeted 12th October: Opening envelope: like getting exam results! I have to send annual mortgage interest statements. I always copy letters giving current rate. Seeking clarification.
* David Laws, Yeovil, 2001 – present … Clean bill of health.
* John Leech, Manchester Withington, 2005 – present… Seeking clarification.
* Michael Moore, Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale, 1997 – 2005; Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, 2005 – present
* Greg Mulholland, Leeds North West, 2005 – present … Clean bill of health.
* Mark Oaten, Winchester, 1997 – present … Request for further information about a possible rent over-claim of £11. Seeking clarification.
* Lembit Öpik, Montgomeryshire, 1997 – present
* John Pugh, Southport, 2001 – present … Clean bill of health.
* Alan Reid, Argyll and Bute, 2001 – present
* Willie Rennie, Dunfermline and West Fife, 2006 – present
* Dan Rogerson, North Cornwall, 2005 – present … … Asked to suuply more information over morgage claims. Seeking clarification.
* Paul Rowen, Rochdale, 2005 – present … Clean bill of health.
* Bob Russell, Colchester, 1997 – present … Office says: “asked by Thomas Legg for further clarification on his Council tax claims (he may have underclaimed!)”. Further information requested, but not asked to pay back any money.
* Adrian Sanders, Torbay, 1997 – present … Was overpaid £691 in rent after Parliament was dissolved ahead of the 2005 General Election. Paid back in full.
* Robert Smith, West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, 1997 – present
* Andrew Stunell, Hazel Grove, 1997 – present
* Jo Swinson, East Dunbartonshire, 2005 – present … Tweet of 12 Oct: “letters arrived but not exactly accurate – responses due by Fri 2nd Nov – err, no such date… doesn’t bode well!” Seeking clarification. Update 20 Oct: Jo tweets, my “all clear” Legg letter has now arrived. Clean bill of health.
* Matthew Taylor, Truro, 1988 – 1997; Truro and St Austell, 1997 – present
* Sarah Teather, Brent East, 2003 – present… Clean bill of health
* John Thurso, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, 2001 – present
* Steve Webb, Northavon, 1997 – present … Clean bill of health.
* Mark Williams, Ceredigion, 2005 – present
* Roger Williams, Brecon and Radnorshire, 2001 – present
* Stephen Williams, Bristol West, 2005 – present … “I’ve had what I would describe as a clean bill of health letter. Nothing to repay and only information requested is a bank statement to show my monthly standing order for rent.”
* Phil Willis, Harrogate and Knaresborough, 1997 – present … £3,230, claimed for cleaning. Paid back in full.
* Jenny Willott, Cardiff Central, 2005 – present … Clean bill of health – “Just to let you know so you can add me to your list – I got the all clear too!”
* Richard Younger-Ross, Teignbridge, 2001 – present
8 Comments
‘Clean bill of health’ for Paul Rowen http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/31081/mp-gets-a-clean-bill-on-expenses
Statement from Don Foster: http://www.donfoster.co.uk/newsarticle.php?id=401
Cheltenham’s MP Martin Horwood given a clean bill of health, reported here in the local paper.
http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/gloucestershireheadlines/County-MPs-asked-provide-information/article-1417545-detail/article.html
Reported in the local Daily Echo:
The Paul Rowen braggadocio on this is premature IMO.
He looks to have been spectacularly “at it” in other areas, within the rules” possibbly, and his direct housing costs are around double those of his Rochdale oppo Jim Dobbin and also double those of John Leech his nearest LD neighbour. The fact Legg has not set any caps on mortgage interest (which would I think have been within remit) is relevant.
As is the fact that other aspects of allowances – staff, incidentals, comms – were outside the remit. How dare the dirt bag PR Paul Rowen claim “clean bill”? I ask non-controversially.
Probably the highlight is that Rochdale Online, the organ Rowen used to parade his “clean bill”, has been enjoying a contract from Mr Rowen to produce his supposedly but not actually non-party-political website. Paid for by the tax payers. Very obviously a conflict of interest here. And incidentally their anti-Labour bias has apparently INCREASED, and not from a low start, since they got this gig.
Among the highlights of Rochdale Online bias was a story of a meeting at Number 10 brokered by Simon Danczuk, Labour’s prospective MP for Rochdale, in which Rochdale Online cropped Mr Danczuk from the photograph and cropped all mention of him from the accompanying story.
The meeting was about asbestos danger. This is a subject on which Rochdale Lib Dems have been horribly conflicted. Sir Cyril Smith actually spoke an Asbestos Industry crafted anti-safety speech in the House of Commons and until very recently PR Paul Rowen was actually denying any asbestos problem in schools. He has since changed his spots and arrogantly put himself front and centre as a schools asbestos campaigner.
Though he still appears to back the redevelopment for family housing of the asbestos dump at Spodden Valley which is the site of a dump of asbestos fibre which has been calculated at a depth of a metre on several football pitches. And just one rogue fibre can kill.
And another example has been Rochdale Online’s aggressive and completely unbalanced coverage of what amounts to a smear in which revolting LP elements and revolting LD spin doctors appear to have co-operated. Some of this at least was subject to a take down notice as it was so disgraceful in its bias. The organ’s editor, bound by an injunction re privacy and harrassment, nonetheless skulked in bushes at one point and took, and published long lens pictures taken in this sordid way.
With part of his income coming from Tax Payers through Paul Rowen’s PCA.
PR Paul Rowen MP may have been given a “clean bill of health” by Mr Legg under the initial terms of reference. But IMO Lib Dem MPs should avoid triumphalism at this stage. The tricks and gimmicks in the “Grey Area” manual exposed by the Telegraph have yet to be properly scrutinized.
What we have discovered from Legg so far is that “within the rules” is simply not enough any more.
Chris Paul, such a sad, twisted, bitter little man. But hilarious nontheless!
not exactly ‘whiter than white’ is it….and how many flipped mortgages?
the situation is scandalous with so-called ‘intelligencia’ screwing’ the system
people like jackie smith who obviously committed fraud, lied and cheated should be stuck away for it. plus de-selected, any have to pay back every penny. and that goes for every mp in the last 20 years. it’s OUR money!
if this was a benefit cheat this is what would happen…he would pay back the money, maybe have his life ruined and maybe be stuck in jail.
ome rule for one and one for politicians……disgusting!
I new what this website had been missing for a while a really long rant by a demented Labour troll thanks for remidying that Chris Paul.
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