SIR Michael Spicer was put firmly in the spotlight this week as the public outrage over MP’s expenses rumbled on.
The Member of Parliament for West Worcestershire was revealed to have claimed more than £5,650 for gardening over a nine-month period, £1,000 for servicing an oven, and £620 for the installation of a chandelier and re-wiring work.
These amounted to claims totalling £106,141 on his Cropthorne home over the past five years.
Sir Michael, a senior Conservative backbencher who will be stepping down at the next general election, said public attitudes towards the claims were a “question of fashion”.
“I do understand why people think the present arrangement is not working properly, especially when there are some real serious abuses of it, but the alternative maybe just as unpopular,” he said, referring to an increase in MP’s pay.
Sir Michael, who was knighted in 1996, said gardening had been a “catch-all” term, and had actually included general maintenance and security and that the chandelier was in fact a modest light fitting, which he had paid for himself.
He lamented that he would be remembered for his “heli-pad”, a family joke referring to a small garden terrace which had made it on to his expenses form, than his 35 years of work with his constituents.
Harriett Baldwin, who has been selected by the Conservative Party to fight West Worcestershire in the next election, refused to comment on Sir Michael’s claims but said she supported Conservative leader David Cameron’s plans for a “radical over-haul of the system”.
“There should be complete transparency and claims should be limited to things like rent, mortgage interest and utility bills,” she added.
Mrs Baldwin said polls suggested smaller political parties could benefit at the upcoming European Parliament elections, but she believed the issue would not affect the results of the next general election.
“I think this will have been resolved long ago,” she said.
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