How can anyone be bothered to claim 3p?
Former cabinet minister Liam Fox successfully claimed 3p of taxpayers' money for a car journey of about 100 metres, expenses documents show.
Mr Fox's office made the claim after he travelled a distance recorded as 0.06 miles in October 2012.
He had visited a concrete firm before heading within his north Somerset base to a constituency surgery in Yatton.
The ex-defence secretary made another 15 claims of under £1 for car travel approved in 2012-13, the files showed.
These included 24p for a 0.54-mile journey from a constituency surgery to a school competition in Clevedon, and 44p for a 0.98-mile journey from a local politics event at Winford Manor to Winford School.
Under the current system, MPs can claim 45p per mile.
MPs claimed a total of £23m in personal expenses in the year to April.
'According to rules'
Paperwork from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) shows Mr Fox claimed £3,866.31 in travel expenses - including rail fares - in the last financial year.
The claim for the car journey to Yatton was paid last December, according to the notes.
Mr Fox told the Sunday People: "I don't do my expenses. My office does them. But they are all done according to the rules for travel distances."
Last year, the Conservative MP had to repay £3,000 of expenses after it was found he had allowed his friend Adam Werritty to live at his taxpayer-funded second home for a year rent-free.
He was also criticised for allowing their Atlantic Bridge think tank to be run from his parliamentary offices.
Mr Fox resigned from his cabinet position in October 2011 over his relationship with Mr Werritty.
Comments
On top of that, there's no reason that should be coming out of his own pocket.
Quite frankly I think some people love demonising these people so much, personally I think if he is that keen on watching the pennies he should be working in the treasury.
So higher than in the year that the scandal broke, lower than the year before it broke.
the distance travelled would have been recorded individually for each 'trip', and then if he had gone on to another meeting 100 miles away that would have been recorded as another separate entry.
There is a strong argument that the number should be dropped significantly as parliaments responsibilities have in fact reduced, for instance Wales and Scotland and N Ireland have their own assemblies, whilst we have also ceded powers to Brussels as part of the European Union. the argument therefore is that there is no longer the work load to keep 600 plus MP's occupied. Of course, work can always be found or made up.
Probably be quicker to redesign the whole electoral system.
Yep, you're right Kap. Think Cameron's full proclamation was 'You're all in it together. . . . whilst us politicians continue to suckle on the teat of greed'.
Really? Saw a piece (if someone could clarify I'd be happy to be corrected of course...) that asserted it would be very complicated due to how voting is broken down in this country geographically, IE; lots of northern industrial constituencies more likely to vote Labour etc, means Labour aren't keen etc. It's an interesting subject especially as we have definitely moved into an era of no massive majorities and/or hung parliaments. I think we all agree even on here that the current lot red/yellow/blue are just after themselves.
And, yes the parties will argue if they think they'll lose out.
Expenses scams happen every day in many many industries
But hey let's have another yawn thread at those nasty Tories, surprised the mail hasn't got a mention yet zzzzzz