Dick Dasterdly

Unbelievable after all that's gone before.

This guy really takes the biscuit.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-20178332

The gravest case ever to come before the committee.

This Labour MP, now an ex Labour MP and ex Minister, invented his own imaginery company that didn't actually exist and proceeded to send a stream of invoices to himself, in order to put in dodgy expense claims.

Lynn R

Appalling, no other word for it. And apparently a previous police investigation found no basis for a prosecution. I've just heard on the news that the evidence provided to the Parliamentary Standards Committee is mostly covered by parliamentary privilege and could not, therefore, be used in any subsequent prosecution. I really don't see why MPs should be allowed to be above the law.

teuchterpete

The worrying thing is that most of these people are required to put in tax returns, and claiming expenses for directorships etc. Could you see them being any more honest with these claims? I suspect not!
Pete

rugbymatt

I see he has resigned.... thats funny, I'm pretty sure HMRC threatened me with a £100 a day fine and a jail sentence when I missed a self assessment a few years back, still, I imagine that he'll be very sorry and contrite so thats OK.

ionie

What I don't accept is his referral to and apology for his 'mistake'.
He didn't make a mistake, he made a fraudulent claim.
Go Directly to Jail. Do Not Collect 200£. Nor 7500£

Dick Dasterdly

Pardon me, but I was mug enough to believe that after all the media exposure, prosecutions and jail-time that surely a new age of responsibility and transparency had probably begun and lessons had been learned.

Wether or not things have improved at all I know not, but without a doubt as far as the general public are concerned, MPs will now once again be viewed with all the same degree of suspicion and contempt that occured when the original scams first came to light.

Back to square one methinks.

Domino

and once again the Police seem to have been dragged into it, not doing enough perhaps, or just going easy on a "celebrity".

Perhaps they will re-open the Baroness Uddin file, she was asked to repay over £120,000 but hasn't done so as "she can't afford it", and lives in a large housing association house.

jackytoo

Macshane has been bent all his political life. Private Eye has done a few things about him years ago.