The Political Porker-in-Chief, Sir Stuart Bell, who sits on the discredited Commons Members Estimate Committee, is going from broadcast studio to broadcast studio squealing that Sir Thomas Legg “is not staying within that remit, he’s not respecting the decisions that were made by the Fees Office in accordance with the rules at the time.”

Bell is as usual being disingenuous, the Fees Office had little authority or competence to enforce rules, it simply took ‘honourable’ members at their word and paid them the cash, no questions asked.  The Fees Office saw its role as working for MPs not the paying public.  Only in the most outrageous and unjustifiable cases did the Fees Office balk at paying out – for example Tam Dalyell’s claim of £18,000 for bookcases was rejected.

If MPs dare to go to Court to fight for their ill-gotten gains, Guido will be waiting…

UPDATE : Mandy says that he feels that retrospective action taken by Sir Thomas Legg, urging MPs to repay allowances claimed under the previous system, was “a little unfair”.  So because they thought they had got away with it, they think it is unfair that they got caught?  Tell it to the judge…