When appointed, the new Commons' Speaker John Bercow, aptly pronouced Berk-oh, promised to help restore public trust in Parliament in the wake of the MPs’ expenses scandal, and said he would lead by example and stop claiming the controversial second home allowance.
But within just a few weeks of being elected to his new position, he has ordered a series of alterations, redecoration and new furnishings for his grace-in-favour, rent-free home in the Palace of Westminster costing more than £20,000. The work will, of course, be paid for by the taxpayer.
The refurbishment plans for the Speaker’s House (published by The Daily Telegraph) show that £7,524.30 has been spent on just a new sofa and window seat cushions for his drawing room in the grandiose apartment which overlooks the Thames.
Michael Martin, Berk-oh's predecessor as Speaker, already spent more than a staggering £1.7m refurbishing the very same residence between 2001 and early 2008.
Berk-oh, the Conservative MP for Buckingham, vowed to be a modernising influence on Parliament and during his campaign he said “It is high time the House was run by professionals on a transparent basis, ensuring that we are accountable to the people who put us here.” After his installation he declared he would stop claiming the second home allowance, which is worth up to £24,006 to MPs this year.
Frankly, that's a pretty shallow statement when you are provided with a free, central London, Charles Barry-designed apartment that contains a state dining room and is in the shadow of Big Ben, for which you have a bottomless pit of taxpayers cash from which you immediately pillage over twenty grand for alterations and designer furniture!
Incredibly, a further £20,000 has been allocated to cover 'general maintenance'. Berk-oh has told Commons staff that he will personally pay for other items such as a children’s Wendy house that will go on the terrace, a climbing frame for the Speaker’s Green adjacent to the apartment and that he has spent far less than his predecessor. Oh, well that's OK then!
Incidentally, Berk-oh still owns a flat in a block nearby which he bought six years ago and on which he was expensing £1,050 per month in mortgage interest payments until his appointment as Speaker. He is also one of the MPs who abused the system to avoid Capital Gains Tax on the sale of two properties and claimed for an accountant to help fill in his tax return.
Bastards ... slimy bastards all over the world!
But within just a few weeks of being elected to his new position, he has ordered a series of alterations, redecoration and new furnishings for his grace-in-favour, rent-free home in the Palace of Westminster costing more than £20,000. The work will, of course, be paid for by the taxpayer.
The refurbishment plans for the Speaker’s House (published by The Daily Telegraph) show that £7,524.30 has been spent on just a new sofa and window seat cushions for his drawing room in the grandiose apartment which overlooks the Thames.Michael Martin, Berk-oh's predecessor as Speaker, already spent more than a staggering £1.7m refurbishing the very same residence between 2001 and early 2008.
Berk-oh, the Conservative MP for Buckingham, vowed to be a modernising influence on Parliament and during his campaign he said “It is high time the House was run by professionals on a transparent basis, ensuring that we are accountable to the people who put us here.” After his installation he declared he would stop claiming the second home allowance, which is worth up to £24,006 to MPs this year.
Frankly, that's a pretty shallow statement when you are provided with a free, central London, Charles Barry-designed apartment that contains a state dining room and is in the shadow of Big Ben, for which you have a bottomless pit of taxpayers cash from which you immediately pillage over twenty grand for alterations and designer furniture!
Incredibly, a further £20,000 has been allocated to cover 'general maintenance'. Berk-oh has told Commons staff that he will personally pay for other items such as a children’s Wendy house that will go on the terrace, a climbing frame for the Speaker’s Green adjacent to the apartment and that he has spent far less than his predecessor. Oh, well that's OK then!
Incidentally, Berk-oh still owns a flat in a block nearby which he bought six years ago and on which he was expensing £1,050 per month in mortgage interest payments until his appointment as Speaker. He is also one of the MPs who abused the system to avoid Capital Gains Tax on the sale of two properties and claimed for an accountant to help fill in his tax return.
Bastards ... slimy bastards all over the world!
Posts
