SkyNews Could the fast Tory action put more pressure on Brown? The expenses saga has taken a new turn with a leading Cameron aide being forced to resign – not as a result of stories in the press but because of the party’s new procedures for looking at what is going on. It strikes me that this element is critically important as all the parties try to get ahead of the game and ensure that they come out of this…
Has Number 10 been wrong-footed again? Judging by the tone of much of the coverage this morning the Cameron moves yesterday have been fairly well received and there’s little doubt that Brown’s comments last night that all MPs’ receipts over four years must be scrutinised by an independent group was his way of countering it. He denied it, of course, but he needed to do something ahead of today’s PMQs which kick off in the house at noon. He’s helped…
Who’ll get the job if/when Martin goes? With Adam Boulton on Sky News this afternoon reporting that there are suggestions that Michael Martin will hold on as Speaker until the general election and then stand down I thought a quick look at the betting might be a good idea. As far as I can see the only bookie with a market is William Hill which currently has Sir Alan Haselhurst (one of those named in the Daily Telegraph today) as…
What can Cameron say to regain the initiative? It feels like day 27 (it’s actually day five) of the Telegraph MP expenses expose but there’s another batch in the paper this morning and this will dominate the political news agenda again. The paper’s introduction sums up the flavour of today’s focus and it is going to be tricky for the leadership to deal with – for it touches in some cases on a world that is totally different from that…
Can Labour get the agenda back to the economy? After four frenetic days when the headlines and bulletins have been dominated by the MP expenses affair there’s been an apology by Gordon Brown. His precise words as quoted by SkyNews were: “We also, as politicians have a responsibility to show that people who enter our profession are there to serve the public interest and not their own..”I want to apologise on behalf of politicians on behalf of all parties, for…
After the revelations could the LDs unseat Kitty Ussher? Burnley in north-east Lancashire is where my family comes from and, indeed, my grandfather was Labour mayor of the neighbouring town of Nelson in the mid-1930s. The very idea that it could be anything other than rock-solid Labour seems extraordinary. Yet I now think there’s a chance that the Lib Dems could take it – and if Burnley went this way what will it say about other places? There are three…
1971 Guidelines: The Additional Costs Allowance reimburses “for expenses wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred when staying overnight away from their main UK residence…for the purposes of performing Parliamentary duties. This excludes expenses that have been incurred for purely personal or political purposes.” The Green Book 2009: Members are cautioned against instances “where they may appear to be vulnerable to criticism or accusations of impropriety.” It also reminds MPs that their conduct should be placed concepts of “selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability,…
Will the “good guys” find it easier to hold on? With the Daily Telegraph dominated by pages of new revelations about expenses the thought strikes me that we ought to start watching out for the impact on marginal seats – particularly those where there are betting markets. For those MPs who’ve attracted the worst coverage are going to find it that bit harder to hang on when the general election comes. Their opponents, assuming they are smart, are going to…