Who would have thought SNP MP George Kerevan’s crusade against expenses abuses would turn out to be complete pish? Kerevan was elected last year on a ticket to clean up Westminster and fight greedy MPs:

“I don’t think Westminster MPs are uniquely venal. Many work hard for their constituents. But I believe Westminster is too remote from the people. I think that the deliberate lack of a written constitution and the doctrine of the sovereignty of the Parliament create an insidious political culture at Westminster that leads some MPs to think they are superior to common mortals. I also think the gentleman’s club rules by which the Commons still operates, and which many male Labour backbenchers succumb to, engender an arrogance among MPs you don’t find at Holyrood. All this adds up to a world view in which MPs think they are not only justified in their financial dealings but deserve their patio heaters.”

Such is Kerevan’s moral integrity that he even pledged to only take the Scottish average wage of £27,000, and use the rest of his salary to fund the running of his office and local charities:

UK MP salary = £67K.I will take only Scot av wage £27K as MP. Rest to run office or local charities @EastLothianSNP @elcourier

— George Kerevan (@GeorgeKerevan) April 10, 2015

So what does he mean by “funding his office”? 

Kerevan this month began employing his wife Angela as a “Personal Assistant”, a post which usually fetches some £25,000 a year. His declarations make clear she is “employed and paid from parliamentary expenses”. A neat way of keeping that taxpayer cash in the family. What was that about “a world view in which MPs think they are justified in their financial dealings”?