June 18, 2008
Why were the Wintertons too busy to find a new home
My favourite line from today’s report - “Conduct of Sir Nicholas and Lady Winterton” - lies in the appendices. It is a letter to the standards commissioner from Lady W on April 28, 2008:
….”My husband and I have already commenced looking for an alternative property with similar facilities in the Westminster area. As I am currently chairing the Local Transport Bill Public Bill Committee and Nicholas is the lead Chairman on the Finance Bill Public Bill Committee and, in addition, we shall be attending the inauguration of the new Taiwanese President in Taipei in May, I am sure you can appreciate the limits on our time….”
( Sir Nicholas and Ann Winterton were found to have broken expenses rules by claiming rent on a flat they already owned. The Commons Committee on Standards and Privileges accepted that the breach regarding the £700,000 London property was accidental. But they ordered the couple to cease their unusual arrangement from September onwards. The Wintertons claimed more than £120,000 in Commons expenses for their second home, six years after they paid off their mortgage. They did this by moving the building into a family trust, set up for their two children. This allowed them to claim more than £21,600 a year in “rent” on the building and also avoid inheritance tax in the event of their death. )
This is outrageous!!
How can you “accidentally” set up a family trust.
This is an obvious fraud and should be procecuted as such. Benefit scroungers are jailed for defrauding much lesser amounts from tapayers.
Another case of one law for the rich….
Posted by: David | June 18th, 2008 at 8:14 pm | Report this commentGRRRRR!!!!
MPs who act in this fashion are treating the electorate with arrogance and contempt. Their actions represent blatant dishonesty and should see them stripped of their public role and brought before the courts. They should not get away with it.
Posted by: John D | June 18th, 2008 at 9:33 pm | Report this commentOh. I am sure they need the money from the taxpayers so they can have a bit more Indonesian yoghourt at breakfast while Ethiopians and Somalis struggle to get a spoon of boiled rice to their four sick, starving children.
Don’t worry Nick and Lady; Peak Oil will soon take care of this as you wont survive without butlers and drivers. And your jewels wont buy you a piece of stale bread.
See you on Xmas at US$300 a barrel.
Posted by: Zeev Reuteman | June 18th, 2008 at 11:10 pm | Report this comment