From Harrow to Hammersmith
The former Home Office and Employment Minister Tony McNulty has been accused of abusing the expenses system by claiming for a house in which his parents lived. Mr McNulty designated his constituency home in Harrow East, about 13 miles from Westminster, as his second home for expenses purposes. It's also the home where his parents live permanently. Mr McNulty himself lives in a house in Hammersmith, about three miles away from the Commons.
The former minister has been the subject of a six month investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Sir John Lyon. When complete, his report was then passed to the cross-party Standards and Privileges Committee which is made up of five Labour MPs and five opposition MPs. We understand the Committee has decided that Mr McNulty should pay back £13,000 and apologise to the House of Commons.
Back in April I asked Mr McNulty about his expenses claims. You can listen to that interview below
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We're hoping Mr McNulty will come back on the programme today.
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McNulty is arrogant, unpleasant, smug and should be sacked. How dare he use tax payers money in the way that he has.
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He's also aggressive, defensive and pompous.
Wonder if he'll dare come on the show? If he does I hope it isn't under the proviso that he's given a soft ride.
Blimey - listening to the Postie Union Rep on at the moment is like listening to Bob Crow - what a dinosaur!
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So - McNulty is coming onto the programme at 12.45 (after he has 'apologised' to the House) eh?
What's the betting that he'll swat away any pesky questions you may ask him with "the matter is over. I've apologised to the House and therefore that is the end of it" etc.?
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And it appears he has got away with it.
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The cast iron defence of all these MPs is "The Fees Office OKed it". Call me suspicious, but isn't is so easy to fill up the fees office with cronies, pay them a great salary and then get them to tick all the boxes. They might eventually be brought to task but by that point they'd no doubt be in a new cushy jobs. Result: The MPs are untouchable.
Paul
Hastings, East Sussex
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Sorry but I do not agree with John. I agree with John's basic analysis but, if you make a claim for something which is subsequently investigated and proved to be incorrect then that is fraud.
Income tax is is managed by Self Assessment. If somebody makes a mistake, or claims for something that is not allowed the HMRC do say oh that is fine. That is a crime, it is fraud.
The huge bad feeling is understandable because they will not accept that they are in the wrong. The words morally bankrupt are absolutely correct.
Ask yourself if Crozier was suddenly found to be claiming excessive expenses or unjustifiable expenses do you think that McNulty would be waiving it away as an error or harmless or even ok because somebody else signed it off without reading it.
Don't answer that we all know the answer.
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The people of Harrow should vote him out.
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Is he for real!!!!!
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After beating him up so much last time why did you let him off the hook now that you had him trapped in the corner?
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His constituency party should sack him. I think he said more than anything 2we should now move on2. I'll bet he wishes we would but no chance mate you and your appalling morally bankrupt cronies who are only in it to line your pocket will be gone soon. I mean you could not make it up, his second home 8 miles away from his main home lived in by his parents, lord help us!!!
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Tony McNulty is either dishonest or incredibly naive. In either case he should no longer have a seat in the House of Commons.
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He should look at the photos in the papers today of the limbless soldiers coming home and hang his head in shame.
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"The cast iron defence of all these MPs is "The Fees Office OKed it". "
Oh, you saw Jacqui Smith on QT last night, too, then...?!
As to McNulty, I see trains full of people who commute into and out of central London from far further away than Harrow at all times of day and night, day in day out, and THEY not only have to pay the fare out of their far-lower wages but generally have to endure the crowding and crush of standard class, too.
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