Your reaction to MPs' expense claims

Expense claims made by Cabinet ministers in the past five years has been leaked to the Daily Telegraph.

Although there is no allegation that any of the ministers broke parliamentary rules, the report is certain to raise serious concerns about MPs' expenses.

The prime minister is among 13 senior politicians who are facing questions about their claims.

Among the paper's findings was that Gordon Brown claimed for a cleaner who he shared with his brother, and the Justice Secretary, Jack Straw, had to return overpayments for council tax and mortgage bills.

Take part in the debate

Cabinet expense claims published

Below is a selection of e-mails you've sent us about the claims and the parliamentary system.

Whilst what the MPs have done is not illegal, it is, by most criteria, somewhat morally suspect. I cannot even claim for buying tea and coffee for my office, or a new scrubbing brush for the office sink, yet our elected representatives are claiming quite obscenely huge amounts for household items. As someone who is politically active, myself, I find this disturbing.
Glyn, London

When applying for a job we all realise we still have to do housekeeping and furnish our properties. What we also expect is to pay for this ourselves and many of us are on average wages. Why should MPs be different? Build a block of flats like university halls and use them for overnight stays. That would be much cheaper.
Sheena Beech, Northwich, England

Am I the only one who is sick to death of hearing about this irrelevance? With a recession on and unemployment rising MPs' expenses is no more than a drop in the ocean.Are we seriously expecting MPs to run two homes and two offices on their current salary alone? It's time to wake up, smell the coffee, and recognize the fact that if you want decent public services YOU have to pay for them.
Iain, UK

It's astonishing how the political elite feel they have done nothing wrong, it shows just how detached they are from reality and the people they are meant to represent. Collectively they have committed the most serious crime possible by a MP - bringing our democracy into disrepute.
Mark Crookes, Driffield, Yorkshire

MPs should bring their expenses in line with normal accepted corporate practises, direct reimbursement for out of pocket travel (as per a published policy), subsistence, meals and entertainment directly pertaining to events. If second homes are required they should be provided as parliamentary owned accommodation occupied and vacated when in office as No.10 is, independent of which party or individual is in occupancy with bills relating to that property only, paid for by the tax payer.
Sam McClean, Aberdeen

I just wish they put as much effort into running the country as they do claiming their expenses.
Tom McLaughlan, Western Isles

I have worked for the private sector for 40 years and never been allowed to claim the sort of expenses enjoyed by the public sector. The politicians should adopt the same principles. They should not be out of pocket but neither should they make a profit. IF accommodation is required the government should buy a house or apartment and allow the visiting politician to use it for a small fee to cover the cost of the utilities. Expenses are only paid on production of a receipt and should only be for extra items needed because they are away from home. Not for nights out.DM, Warrington Cheshire

Like any employee, if an MP is away from home - and this needs to be properly defined - they should be entitled to the cost of Dinner, Bed and Breakfast at a reasonable local hotel, for the night concerned. How they choose to spend this allocation, whether to supplement from their own pockets, is up to them. But no more. If they have received more than this in the past, it should be considered 'income' and taxed accordingly. Have their tax affairs been appropriately investigated, as would be the case for any other person?
Chas Duggan, Manchester, England

They all claim to have worked within in the existing rules. No matter what they say there is a question of moral ethics. If found guilty of the minimum irregularity they should be prosecuted and if found guilty barred for life from holding any public office. No favours from the police or the CPS.
John, Switzerland

If we want the best people running our country and managing the money raised from our taxes then we must be prepared to pay them a decent amount. The trouble is that we as taxpayers generally want something for nothing. If you compare Minister's salaries (even including allowances) to those of CEOs managing similar budgets, and making similarly high profile decisions, our leaders are paid an absolute pittance. Do we not value them that much? Do we not value our country or ourselves that much?
Huw Davies, Cardiff

I think the idea of "expences" for MPs is scandalous. We in the private sector are not allowed expenses, and should we ask for them we would be told that when we took the job we knew the salary we were to be paid. MPs should be told the same. If they don't like it they have the option of leaving and finding alternative employment.
H. Butler, Perton, Wolverhampton

These people have no idea of how ordinary working people are struggling, but more than that they are not even interested. They will soon be reaping the rewards of failure when the system they are abusing is attacked by the general public.
Brian Hall, Nottingham UK

The Daily Telegraph should be utterly ashamed of itself. This issue is being currently thrashed out in Commons and by cross party committee. No matter what the story is, to undermine the rule of democracy in this way is seriously misjudged.
M Bowers, Liverpool, England

These expense claims are a slap in the face for anyone who works to make an honest living.

I dont see how the majority of these claims assist an MP in performance of their duties, regardless of whether they are within the rules or not. Specifically citing Gordon Browns expenses claim for cleaners.

Firstly, having a clean house is not requisite of being an MP. Secondly, why should he not have to pay for these things from his salary like most other employed people?

It is irrelevant to claim that expense claims are within the rules when it is the rules themselves that are flawed.
Alex Anthony, Pontyclun, UK

I don't think MPs should be allowed to claim TVs and cleaners as these are luxuries. Expenses should be restricted to travel and rent or hotel bills. For any other claims, there should be a test which says "can an MP do their job without that item?" If the answer is yes, then it should be considered a luxury and should not be paid for by the public.
CJE, Stoke-on-Trent

This is an absolute disgrace, and it gets worse by the week. MPs from outside London should be housed in provided accommodation blocks, like those previously provided for police and nurses. They should get a salary, and nothing more. If they don't like it, don't stand for election. There are always plenty of candidates at every election.

MPs, in the main, are completely out of touch with the general population, and most have no idea about the real world, as they have never worked outside of politics. If they are making all these claims - bath plugs, oven-gloves, etc -, what do they spend their salary on?
Brian Marcus, Stockton-on-Tees, England

Send us your comments

I think the whole system is rotten. I don't get expenses for TVs, kitchen sinks, plugs, cleaning costs, council tax, etc. so why should an MP? They chose their job; they knew what it entailed. Creaming off an extra average wage every year for things everyone else has to pay out of their own wage, is simply absurd. Pay for your furniture out of your own wage!
Chris Haynes, London

Its outrageous to find that MPs are able to claim for things such as TVs, boilers and other household items when the average family just barely manage on modest incomes. It's time the general public placed the same constraints on the MPs that they place on us.
T W Simmons, Walsall West Midlands UK

I think this system of expenses is a farce, especially in these hard times. The rest of us are having to budget and can hardly afford to live, while MPs get to claim for all sorts of stuff to make their life easy going. It's just like a licence to print money, or should I say take money?
Eleanor, Bangor, Northern Ireland

I fail to see why MPs even get expenses. They are paid more than the average person yet they get these extras. How can MPs understand the issues the majority of the country face if they are so lavishly paid? Should they not be on the average wage of their respective areas so they can understand the financial issues people face?

In addition to that, this shows blatant disregard for the money taxpayers pay. MPs should be looking to justify every penny they take off us. Spending it in this manner shows disrespect to anyone who has ever paid taxes. They promise to cut on benefits yet are unable to lead by example.
Robbie Lake, Edinburgh

My salary is there for me to pay for the things I need to live the lifestyle I choose. If my TV needs replacing, or my boiler needs repairing I pay for this out of salary.

Expenses are there to reimburse costs incurred while carrying out my job. MPs are no different. Those MPs who stray outside of these definitions are fraudsters, whether or not they think they are "acting within the rules".
David Charnley, Liverpool UK

The attitude of MPs is summed up by the following remark by Andy Burnham: "Indeed, over the last five years, I have under-claimed on my Additional Costs Allowance by around £40,000." He seems to regard maximum allowances as some sort of target.

It is no wonder that the government tried everything last year to stop MPs expenses being published under the guise of "protecting their constituents".
Russell , Lincoln, UK

I'm absolutely disgusted that we struggle to survive and pay our bills, while MPs earn a huge salary and then have the nerve to claim expenses from taxpayers' money. MPs should only be able to claim travel expenses, nothing else. It's a job they choose to do, this country is in a mess and these people should lead by example, not greed.
Liz, Wiltshire England

Send us your comments

As a single parent, with a 5 year old child, working a compulsary 90 hour week as a junior doctor, I was not allowed to claim child care costs or any allowances for the time I needed childcare essesntial for my training and qualifying as even an expense for tax purposes! My daughters state nursery was for 2 hours a day, 5 days a week and less than 0 weeks a year. Cleaners - dream on, I couldn't afford them! Rules for the goose and the gander methinks!
Fran Reichenberg, oxford

An entirely independent body should review and reform the obviously scandalous system which allows MPs to take full advantage of rules made by themselves. The problem is that this is not a party political issue; all have clear reasons for retaining and defending a practice which allows the greediest to feather their nests at our expense. MPs need reminding in the strongest possible terms that we pay their salaries and so called expenses.
M P O'Connell, Wincham, Cheshire

Lets be careful what we wish for.

Whilst it is absolutely right that we hold MPs to account for every aspect of their remuneration, it is also accurate to say that our democratic system is one of the least corrupt in the world. This constant demeaning of our elected politicians is bad for that system and ultimately bad for us as citizens - look around the world at some of the alternatives.

Accountability, yes, but this disproportionate reaction to people, most of whom work hard, whether or not you agree with their views, is ultimately going to drive decent bright people from ever contemplating going into politics in the future. That can't be good.
GJT, Warrington, UK

The trough is deep. It is extremely easy to follow rules when you are the people writing them. When I changed jobs and had to move areas to work, why was I not allowed to claim these sort of expenses and why are MP's allowed massive discounts on council tax. These greedy people have continually tried to put expensive constraints on the population while exempting themselves from the costs themselves.
David Davies, Camberley

The scandal riles me. I have to pay an extra £400+ income tax per year because the sum of my occupational pension and old age pension exceeds £22,900. Why am I so penalised when these rogues have a special scheme?
Ernest Pullen, Chandler's Ford, England

I think most reasonable people would agree that expenses reasonably incurred in prosecution of duties of those employed in public service is acceptable. After all, in other areas of employment reasonable expenses for travel, overnight stays etc., are commonplace.

However, to suggest that payment for maintenance of houses, cleaners, furniture et al, makes a mockery of the system, and to try to justify such simply by reason of the system allowing it, does little more than to highlight how flawed the system is and, perhaps, what little regard appears to have been given to public opinion on the matter.

Hopefully, now, this basically reasonable "perk" will be better monitored and less abused.
PiAnt, Bangkok, Thailand

Please can someone enlighten me? I may be missing the obvious. Why does the PM need a private London flat? He is already provided with an official residence at No. 10 and he also has the use of Chequers as well as his main constituency home.
Joe Wilson, Rosyth, Fife