The Daily Telegraph today reported upon my parliamentary expense claims and I would like to address these.
I have always championed transparency and freedom of information in public life. My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I have argued for some time that the system of MPs expenses is fundamentally flawed and should undergo radical reform and the recent revelations bear this out.
I have never at any time profited from my expense claims. I have only been reimbursed for expenses incurred through maintaining a second home in London and in the execution of my parliamentary duties.
The Daily Telegraph focused upon a sum of money I claimed for refurbishing the flat I stay in when working at Westminster.
For more than twenty years I have rented a one-room studio flat. The rent is paid by the House of Commons Fees Office. As I do not own it, I can in no way profit from the flat. I have never owned property in London. My wife and I are joint owners of a house in Edinburgh and a cottage in Gateside. No money from public funds has been spent on either of these properties.
When I became Leader of the Liberal Democrats in 2006 it was clear my duties and workload would require me to spend a lot more time in London. In addition Elspeth, my wife, was also expected to stay in London more frequently.
To accommodate this, I could have rented or bought a larger, more expensive property. I rejected this option and instead chose to remain in my existing flat. No work had been carried out on the flat, nor had I purchased furnishings for it, for nearly twenty years. It was clear that it would require upgrading. I employed an interior decorator (who was a constituent) to help me. I asked the Fees Office whether I was able to claim the cost of the decorator’s assistance and was told it was within their guidelines. This one-off cost (in addition to the amount spent on refurbishment) allowed me to remain in my existing flat, at a cost to the taxpayer of less than £800 per month.
I’m glad you’ve speedily addressed this.
The Telegraph also say:
“He also claimed thousands of pounds for food over the summer recess when Parliament was not sitting, including £800 in September and October 2004, £1,000 between August and November 2005, £1,000 in July, August and September 2006 and £650 in July and August 2007.”
Do you have any comments on that? Would you not agree that a £400 a month allowance on top of your salary for food is excessive, particularly when compared to Jobseekers Allowance which is about £260-280 a month which also has to cover many other outgoings?
Additionally:
“When I became Leader of the Liberal Democrats in 2006 it was clear my duties and workload would require me to spend a lot more time in London. In addition Elspeth, my wife, was also expected to stay in London more frequently.”
Would you agree that MPs salary and expenses should be related to their Parliamentary?
Isn’t the role of leader of one of the political parties one where you are working for the benefit of that party, not your constituents in Parliament.
For example, if you visit London out of Parlimentary session for a meeting of the FE that has no benefit for your constituents.
In that case, why should taxpayers pay the additional costs of work which, fundamentally, isn’t directly related to your Parliamentary work?
It’s not a defence to say that you didn’t claim much in previous years.
This is about claiming for furnishings that are seen by their prices to be luxurious – against the ‘no luxury’ rule for expenses.
To use the defence that this is a one time only splurge gives away a belief that you think you have been virtuous previously, and are now claiming some of what you are owed, yet have been too good most of the time not to claim. This way of thinking is the same as that of the Speaker – i.e. thinking of what you can claim. Never mind that you may have been virtuous by not making a claim, it is the culture of thinking that expenses are in a sense something claimable by default that is wrong.
Expenses are just that, expenses, and you have broken the rules.
Alas.
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I understand that you have not profited from the flat, which is rented. I also understand that this was within the letter of the rules and you have acted honourably. But some of the items claimed are of a luxury nature in most people’s language. For example:
“a new bed costing £1,024, Roman blinds worth £528.75 and five cushions costing £176.25. He topped off the claim with a £1,515 bill for decorating.
He also claimed for four bedside shelves at a cost of £1,420, as well as an extension cable costing £66.90, a ‘loo brush’, black-out blinds, plus bulbs, a laundry basket and soap worth £272.86.”
You need to understand that ordinary people thing it is absolutely unbelievable that you charge them for such exhorbitant costs for simple items which you could get down the market in total for £200 – tops.
Therefore I plead with you to pay back the money for all the luxury items which I estimate at £3-5,000 to show that you recognise public anger on this matter and to reflect the new expenses regime which should be in place soon anyway.
You surely do not want to be remembered as the MP who dug his heels in over £5,000, do you?
I mean, you used to earn that sort of money just for standing up and saying “Good morning” in court!
Mr Campbell has fallen into the trap of many other MP,s in believing that because he has not used his generous expense allowance over a number of years, that justifies an expenditure that is excessive. It certainly does not, he bought housewhole goods for a rented flat well over the normal cost and should repay a good proportion of that cost.
Another point is why should he or any other MP be paid an allowance for food, surely they have to eat whether they are in London or in their constituency? This is certainly a case of ‘snouts in the trough’.
British politics has hit another low.
I will not be voting for Mr Campbell again. I always thought he was an honerable gentleman but not any more.
Menzies, your own probity aside, I note neither you, nor your Leader nor the party have put out any sort of statement on the conduct of your Chief Executive Chris Rennard.
http://blogs.notw.co.uk/politics/2009/05/peer-pockets-41k-expenses-on-holiday-home.html
This is a very serious matter, a Labour MP has been suspended, a Tory has resigned for unwarranted claims in a respect of a second home. Both in a matter of hours after the revelations came to light.
Why then after five days has your party done nothing about a man who has claimed nearly 3 times as much as Elliott Morley? Some of which which was claimed during your watch as party Leader?
Oink
Oink
Oink
Can’t tell the pigs from the MPs.
Sir Menzies, I was saddened to witness the vitriol you were subjected to on the BBC last night. There have been some criminal abuses of the parliamentary expenses system but your claims seem very fair to me. I think you have done yourself an injustice by repaying some of the monies claimed.Using a decorator or designer is a perfectly legitimate expense, a small living space has to be planned carefully and as you state you have saved a considerable amount of tax payers money by staying put. I don’t consider £1,000 for a bed to be excessive, why shouldn’t you have a decent nights sleep? My income is below the national average but I don’t expect M.P.s to kip on the benches in St James’s Park.
Read the entry – and comments on this PoliticsHome article. It sums it up for me.
http://page.politicshome.com/uk/sir_menzies_independence%2C_independence%2C_independence_in_scrutinising_claims.html
Why exactly did you need to claim £800 for food ?
As other reasonable people have also said, this is preposterous and unreasonable and excessive and not wholly incurred for you to do your job. While you were claiming this OAPs were dying of cold, lack of food and were unable to pay their council tax. Some were sent to prison. You are a laughing stock in the electorate and abhored for your conduct.
Scoundrel,thief,deceit,lowlife,manipulative,liar,underhand,cheap,avarice,dim,
foolish,part of a pack of starving dogs,despicable,skeemer,prison ,charged,payback,interest,fired,get rid of, untrustworthy,robber,fumbler,financial immaturity,out of touch,shame,discust,lack of integrity,lack of any moral fibre,grasping,twofaced,selfseeking,get rich at the expense of others,disregard,RESIGN.
Some of the thoughts in mind forthis man and his cohorts.
I think its not unreasonable for the leader of a political party to spend money on their London flat, it isn’t benefiting you personally.
In my opinion you are unfortunate to be drawn into this wider scandal, and lumped in with people who are almost certainly deserving of criminal investigations.
However I also think that the very palpable anger across the country and shown on Question Time isn’t just as a result of expenses. Expenses is the final straw. We’ve got:
the Iraq war on very dubious grounds,
DNA databases,
the rising of a surveillance state (emails, web, phone calls etc),
ID cards which no one wants,
the increasing flow of power from Parliament to Downing Street and Brussels,
signing of the Lisbon treaty without a referendum
and so on.
And while these things have been going on, it appears that MPs have been using taxpayers money for their own enrichment. People don’t feel represented, they feel disenfranchised and marginalised. And will look to extremist parties to represent them. Hopefully I’m wrong, but I hope the legacy of this isn’t those extremist parties getting a foothold. Notwithstanding the obvious reason not to vote for them, why should people vote for the mainstream parties when they’ve presided over so many mistakes that have had a very impact on ordinary people’s lives.
Sir Menzies,
I feel compelled to write after viewing last night’s BBC question time.
There are some parliamentarians (not that many) that I admire and who I trust, and you are most certainly one of them. Putting party politics aside, I believe you to be a role model of how members of parliament should behave. I believe you to be a man of integrity, honesty, probity, decency and tolerance.
You have dealt with your review of your expense claims in a most considered, genuinely contrite and transparent way – at variance with most of your fellows. Nothing you have done changes my opinion of you, if anything it enhances it.
Like most members of the public I have been appalled at the claims that some of our MPs have made, but I am now becoming concerned about the future of our parliamentary democracy. Those MPs that have clearly abused the system need to go, and soon.
During this awful time, our parliament needs MPs like you to come to the fore as examples, or role models, of how parliamentarians should behave. There are MPs of all parties whose honour and behaviour match yours. If ever we needed all of you to become highly visible – not in a party political way but as an example of how to behave -it is now.
Public confidence in parliament needs to be restored pdq and we need MPs like you to help with the restoration. We need you and your like in our parliament more than ever.
Can I add to the comment people are making regarding the food expenses. You never got to answer the question from the lady on question time last night, and I think the public would like to know how you managed to spend so much money on food?
When you are at home in Edinburgh, not claiming expenses, do you spend the same amount on food?
It is both unreasonable and unacceptable, up until now illegal for anyone to steal .Unbeliveable!! Especially for persons in this position to behave like juttersnipes .I don’t have a little green book of course ,when I go to work I have to pay parking at my hospital trust even though my services could also be deemed necessary.Where the hell can I get one? These people are a disgrace to the nation and, to the world a laughing stock .It seems we have to pay MPs for their very existence ,if they find it so hard then resign, let someone else have a go who would be satisfied with the exorbitant salary and legally accessible expenses,not to speak of the backhanders and illegal amounts claimed. Not too much sign of that so far only from those who have been pushed, good riddance! No life is too good and lucrative for this brazen, shameless lot, after al, there is a free for all of taxpayers money to leach at will. Welcome to banana republic U.K.
One other point about the claim for £10,000, if it was for the renovation, refurbishment costs, which one could assume includes re-decoration, upgrading kitchen/bathroom etc, why are these costs not met by the owner/landlord of the flat.
Sir Menzies goes to great length to state that he has rented the flat for the past twenty years without substantial claims for maintenance.
Any part of the claim that doesn,t include the expensive household goods bought, eg cost of decoration, upgrade to kitchen and bathroom should be paid back, with the landlord footing that part of the cost.
I am presuming the flat was rented unfurnished and was not owned by a member of Sir Menzies family or a friend.
Surely any maintenance costs should be the responsibilty of the owner of the flat. If Sir Menzies leaves that flat tomorrow the owner will have a recently renovated flat with the tax payer paying the cost. That doesn,t appear to be right.
Perhaps Sir Menzies would like to clarify or explain these points. ?
What a very good point by Gerry (15th May at 3.35pm). In addition to this, as he has refurbished the rented apartment surely the landlord will want it changed back to the original state- ie the decorators etc will have to come back in the paint over everything?
Moreover, when you say, Menzies Campbell, that you will not make a profit from claiming expenses, when you retire as an MP I assume the £1000 bed etc will be given back to the country somehow- ie not passed onto family/friends??
Gerry and James
I think you are thinking of more short-term rents. For long term leases the conditions of the lease agreement can, and usually do, vary from what you say.
The lease runs til 2034 which means it is very likely to be a self-repairing lease whereby the tenant is responsible for maintaining the flat in the condition as it was when he or she originally took possession of it. And the tenant would be responsible for handing back to the landlord at the end of the lease in a reasonable condition. So the idea of undoing all the refurbishment certainly doesn’t apply unless Sir Menzies has had the walls painted purple.
I do think that all furniture and fittings bought should be handed back to the taxpayer when the MP ends their term.
Indeed, in fairness to Sir Menzies he has said that he wants the government to own furnished flats for MPs to use so that the whole additional cost allowance or second homes allowance is a thing of the past.
“The lease runs til 2034 which means it is very likely to be a self-repairing lease”
Can the remainder of that lease be sold to someone else? If so it’s not a totally valueless asset.
I honestly don’t know. It would depend on the individual lease agreement. They vary. Some have renewal clauses and surrender terms and goodness knows what.
On Newsnight you commented you gave up working as a QC and could have had a far better salary, far more following this vocation. However you resumed this in 2008. Also you had a Remunerated directorship with Scottish American Investment Company PLC (£15,001-£20,000) Feb 2008, along with Fees for two appearances on ITV’s ‘The Book Quiz’. (Up to £5,000) (Registered 7 January 2009) a book advance under contract with Hodder & Stoughton for autobiographical book. 1st Jan 2008 (£35,001-£40,000) A Further instalment of the advance of my autobiography. (£15,001-£20,000) (Registered 1April 2008) All listed here http://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=10088. Now wonder you work 70 hours a week, how much time in Parliament ? we wonder, along with others that have three or four other paid careers, oh but are working so hard for us.
A key word in the Nolan principles of public life is integrity. An early interview it was said “I operated within the rules”. Maybe one did but with integrity? A level of expenses and luxury purchases that I might dream about.
As one of his constituents, perhaps Sir Menzies could enlighten me with how much of his time he actually spends on his MP duties.?
How much does your wife get paid, what does she actually do and how many hours does she work for this tax paid remuneration.
As Geoff says you seem to have many other profitable activities. Perhaps its time for you to resign from your cushy post as MP for NE Fife and devote your time to these. Lets face it you have never had any effect on the happenings in NE Fife apart from a few personal appearances now and again.
You have still a lot to answer for, can you explain why you claimed around £400 per month for food, even during the recess months?
Are you still claiming for food. ?
In fairness Paul I wasn’t really expecting you to have the answer.
Though it is sad that Ming seems unwilling to answer the, IMO reasonable questions put by people who have been party members and activists for many years.
Hi Gerry, don’t be silly he was working on his autobiographical book, for a nice fat fee. Voted a mixture of for and against a transparent Parliament, Im sure he did, with all that money for food and a nice £1000.00 bed to sleep the night away thinking about all the pleb’s who had paid for it. Also Ming has worked so hard for all of us the following is true see my previous post for data http://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=10088. ( Has spoken in 18 debates in the last year — below average amongst MPs. ) well he has to eat well so not much time to represent voters too busy wih his book. Total cost in 2007/ 2008 TO US THE TAX PAYER £157,112 (140th OUT OF 647 PIG’S IN THE TROUGH) sorry Ming not a go at you in particular, but like most people Im not happy and your visible squirming on question time made me look and investigate. Prior to this I was with no particular party in 39 years since 18 now I and my wife will vote to get rid of our local MP and vote for a fresh face some other party, who will realise that we the people can make a difference.
Apologies to all here last post, I just came upon this and I think all should read it. It make’s your blood boil from some poor woman here are her comments I will post the link so read it your self before attacking me AND LOOK AT THE LINK PLEASE http://www.mingcampbell.org.uk/2008/02/05/campbell-calls-on-government-to-end-disability-poverty/#comment-23059
Katie Spencer-Nairn Says:
February 10th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
As a disabled person from North East Fife I thank Sir Menzies for signing the motion to end poverty among disabled people.
But as a disabled person in Fife who is currently looking at a 4,700% rise in my care from £4 per WEEK TO £11 per HOUR, and £192 per week due to the Revised Charging Policy introduced in October 2007 by the Liberal Democrat/SNP Administration in Fife Council, I urge the Liberal Democrat Councillors of Fife to look at consequences of this policy in the light of the Leonard Cheshire Report.
By depleting disabled people of any savings we have, you are taking away our ability to buy the things necessary to make our lives easier and worth while. Once savings are gone, for a disabled person, it is not just a question of building your savings up, as many of us are unable to work. The savings we have are one of the few things that give us some independence and choice.
Hyprocrit he was spending more on food than this poor woman that thanked him for trying to xxxxxxxxx **** I give up
I’d like to ask “Ming” when he thinks he would have repaid the sum of £1,490.66 spent on an interior designer if the Telegraph hadn’t published details of his expenses claims.
Dear Mr Campbell
While your own expenses might (possibly) be defended those of many of your colleagues cannot. In fact the range of expenses claimed by MPs only highlights the problem.
Even if your own expenses are minimal by claiming anything at all you supported a frankly indefensible situation. Basically a group of people paid from the public purse decided that as they probably could not get their ‘Boss’ (us, the electorate) to pay them more they would devise a system of allowances so that they could subsidise their wages on the quiet without the ‘Boss’ ever knowing. Even worse they took steps to make sure the ‘Boss’ could not find out. As you might then expect some MPs became more enthusiastic ‘subsidisers’ than others.
Given this situation do you honestly believe a few mumbled apologies about ‘the system’ and some guilt-edged checques will salvage MP’s collective reputation?
mps on the take – what a shocker, who would have thought…. hardly news is it? Losing faith in politicians and politics? I never had any.
Why not waste money on a fraud investigation only to find there’s no case to answer? Reform the allowance system so they get even more money without having to claim it?
Politics isn’t clever, it isn’t complicated – it’s largely pointless, from the ridiculous state opening of parliament to the inane pm questions. Lot’s of people make money out of it – lobbyists, political correspondents reporting nothing, companies who offer directorships so they’ve got a voice in parliament.
It will never change, it will always be corrupt, so let’s stop banging on about it, stop giving mps media exposure – why should we be subjected to their odious nonsense?
If I were an mp I’d be riding the gravy train all the way to the bank, claim every penny of allowance and make myself available for any remunerated directorship going.
Sir Menzies seems to be taking cover at the moment regarding his excessive expenses over the past few years. (eg £157,112 2007-2008)
His constituents I,m sure are all waiting for him to justify these expenses. In fact to justify his position as an MP.
While unemployment in NE Fife increases we have a greedy MP claiming for of all things food. Around £3500 during parliament recesses from Sept 2004 till August 2007.
I think we all deserve answers or should you just resign in disgrace.
On a broader matter why does this country need 647 MP,S when most of our regulations and laws come from the European parliament. The number should be reduced by at least half. The remainder might find some usefull work then and have less time to fiddle their expenses.
Come on Ming have the guts to answer your critics and justify your existence.
Hi Ming, well this is your web page but you do not answer ???? perhaps it is now that possiby you might be the next speaker !!!. But you fail to comment on this web site ??? perhaps as a possible speaker and as an MP for 22 years you should not run for this position as you have, however probably de-frauded us taxpayers all this time. However as per your quote’s it is within the rules but they need to change ??? it took 22 years for you as a whiter than white liberal MP to work that out ?? It only took me and many others to find out what a two faced fraud you are. Still you may get another nice little earner as speaker. Please answer your critics as prior to this sham you did, still silence speaks many words.