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Friday, 12th March 2010

Woodward blasts 'rotten' expenses system

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Published Date: 13 May 2009
By Chris Amery
St Helens MP Shaun Woodward has launched a scathing attack on MPs' expenses system.
The Labour MP, whose own expenses were published by the Daily Telegraph, branded the system 'rotten' and an 'unmitigated disaster'.
Mr Woodward's comments are some of the damning from a senior politician since the fuore errupted last week.

He said: "I think the public look at us right now and think we've all got our noses in the trough. Our profession looks shameful - it's embarrassing - and right now if I try and make almost any defence of our collective position or my position it looks terrible.

"We have to look at how taxpayers money is spent generally, so that means I think you should have the right to look at every single one of my receipts. I just want to say I'm sorry, because I think our profession is not made up of crooks, I think it is people who genuinely want to make life better for people."

The MP for St Helens South claimed £98,079 between January 2004 and June 2008 to help pay the mortgage interest on a London flat he stays in when Parliament is sitting and £3,814 towards his council tax. There is no suggestion of any Mr Woodward's claims broke Parliamentary rules.

According to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, one of Mr Woodward's assistants claimed 38p for a Muller Crunch Corner yoghurt and £1.06 for a pizza from Asda in St Helens in November 2004.

Receipts from an office supplier also reportedly revealed that Mr Woodward has regular orders for Family Circle biscuits, Gold Blend coffee, Tetley tea bags and Diet Coke.

However, although Mr Woodward, 50, whose wife Camilla is a member of the Sainsbury's grocery family, is entitled to a ministerial salary of £141,866, he only draws his MP's salary of £63,291.

He added: "We have an expenses system which is an unmitigated disaster. It has allowed people to do things which, when you hold back and look at it, look terrible. I don't think these people are crooks, I don't think they're bad people, these are good people trying by and large to do a good job, but the system we've got is rotten and has got to go."

An external review into the expenses system is due to be conducted before MPs' expense claims from 2008-2009 are made public this summer.

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  • Last Updated: 13 May 2009 8:27 AM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: St Helens
 
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1

Frankie Flintstone,

Merseyside and proud of it. 13/05/2009 10:44:49
Don't usually have much time for political turncoats to or from any party but Mr. Woodward has impressed me with his decision on not taking the ministerial salary.
2

Not Bothered,

Somwhere 13/05/2009 11:15:19
Well said Frankie but then again, £98000 in tax free expenses is probably better than £60000 through the pay packet.
3

BrenD,

Sutton Heath 13/05/2009 14:45:54
well he doesn't seem to be as bad as some of the others although £100'000 grand is nowt to be smiffed at.At least he hasn't claimed for his moat to be cleaned like some other MP in the news.
4

Qujaho,

St helens 14/05/2009 23:49:44
How trite, all the MPs are expressing disgust at the expense shambles, yet very few resisted the temptation to help themselves to as much as they could get. The disgust that they express is in the fact they have been caught with all ten sticky fingers in ten very sticky pies.

They are all as bad as each other how magnanimous of Mr Woodward not to accept a ministerial salary when he has a personal worth of over £15 million (a true representation of the populace of St Helens), it was more beneficial for him to take the lesser salary and £24k tax free.

We don’t need an independent commons commission we all ready have the Inland Revenue, let them investigate the accounts and use the law of the land as it applies to the general public not the privileged few.
5

Qujaho,

St Helens and Furious 16/05/2009 00:27:42
Ok I accept that there are severe expenses to having to live in London, and 65k a year plus 24k a year in tax free expenses positively puts you on the bread line.

Answer some questions please

1) Which is your constitutional home?
2) If its St Helens as it should be how many days have you lived in the town (without your butler and with please split).
3) When did you buy the flat in London was it before you became a member of parliament for the Tories or when you jumped ship and became a member of the labour party.
4) How many homes do you own?
5) Where do your children go to school, do/did they go to school in your home constituency?

Come On St Helens Reporter live up to your name rather than print sound bytes, ask some questions I would like to read something that I cannot get from the BBC.




6

mrs mason ,

a millionare mp 16/05/2009 08:14:26
mr woodward is one the richest memembers of the cabinet/worth an est 40 million .he owns 4?5?houses.a mansion ,a villa on a island and yet he claims 100,000 intrest on his morgage intrest re payments on his appartment in london ,and his also workers submit expenses claim forms for a pizza and a muller lite yougurt? come mr woodward yet more example of the unreal world that mp s live in.
7

pizza from Asda ,

Not London 18/05/2009 19:50:18
So he thinks only the rich in future will be MPs, that’s what you are Mr. Woodward. Why does he need a £1.2 million flat in London?
Think I could manage on only £64k +£24k all Tax-free + those dam expenses that no one was supposed to see.

8

jaybs,

NEWTON-LE-WILLOWS 20/05/2009 07:12:53
The majority could live in the food expenses MP's claim.

Mr Woodward is no angel regards his claims especially with the mortgage interest allowance, all adding to his pension portfolio as our expense.
9

tatedays,

st helens 20/05/2009 20:30:52
If the Daily Mail puts all the information it did in about Shawn Woodwards servants or butlers cant remember which and four homes why is it not getting in the st helens papers.Dont know why they dont just buy some basic homes in london for mps to use and let them pay rent other people getting a job in london have to support themselves.They must get such a huge bonus when they sell their homes and why all the fuss about he will try and push for more money for st helens college its either the money is their or not isnt it couldnt the college ask themselves most people can use a phone cant they .Im prob stupid but i dont understand why we need all these mps
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