MP expenses storm breaks

The Telegraph has had the expenses leaked, with full details of the myriad expenses of the fat cat MPs.

The revelations came after The Daily Telegraph obtained copies of receipts relating to the expenses of current and former Cabinet ministers dating back to 2004.(The Daily Telegraph has seen uncensored copies of the receipts, which lay bare the extent to which MPs play the system to maximise the amount of money they can claim from the taxpayer. )

They also show that Hazel Blears, the embattled Communities Secretary, submitted claims on three different properties in the course of a year, while Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, repaid £1,700 that he overclaimed for council tax soon after it transpired that all MPs expense receipts would be published.

Lord Mandelson billed the taxpayer almost £3,000 for work carried out on his constituency home in Hartlepool less than a week after he announced that he was standing down as an MP. He later sold the terrace house for a profit of £136,000.

from the Times this morning

Also in the Telegraph this morning your best and worst value MP
Pictures here of extraordinary claims

Frankly they are being paid enough what the hell do they need to claim for windows and doors?

It seems even the Ginger Ninja Hazel Blears is ready to trough at expenses too

* Hazel Blears, the Communities Secretary, claimed for three different properties in a single year. She spent almost £5,000 on furniture in three months after buying the third flat in an upmarket area of London.

* David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, spent hundreds of pounds on gardening at his constituency home — leading his gardener to question whether it was necessary to spend the money on pot plants “given [the] relatively short time you’ll be here”.

* Alistair Darling, the Chancellor, changed his official “second home” designation four times in four years.

* Geoff Hoon, the Transport Secretary, also switched his second home, which allowed him to extensively improve his family home in Derbyshire before buying a London town house also funded by the taxpayer.

* Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary, Caroline Flint, the Minister for Europe, and Paul Murphy, the Welsh Secretary, also bought flats — or the freehold on a property they already owned — and claimed stamp duty and other moving costs. Mr Burnham warned the parliamentary authorities that his wife might divorce him if expenses were not paid promptly.

All this the day after Jacqui Smith has been shown to be milking the system telling one thing to her local council and another to the House of Commons.


We want a General Election now! Not in a years time.

Craig Murray Needs Your Help

I was told at this meeting that it is not illegal for us to obtain intelligence gained by torture, provided that we did not do the torture ourselves. I was told that it had been decided that as a matter of War on Terror policy we should now obtain intelligence from torture, following discussion between Jack Straw and Richard Dearlove. I was told that we could not exclude receipt of specific material from the CIA without driving a coach and horses through the universality principle of the UK/US intelligence sharing agreement, which would be detrimental to UK interests.

On Tuesday 10 March the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights will discuss whether or not to hear my evidence on the UK government's policy of using intelligence from torture. They discussed whether to hear my evidence on 3 March but failed to reach a conclusion.

The government is lobbying hard for my exclusion. I need everybody to send an email to jchr@parliament.uk to urge that I should be allowed to give evidence. Just a one-liner would be fine. If you are able to add some comment on the import of my evidence, or indicate that you have heard me speak or read my work, that may help. Please copy your email to craigjmurray@tiscali.co.uk.

Please also pass on this plea to anyone you can and urge them to act. Help from other bloggers in posting this appeal would be much appreciated.

The evidence I am trying to give the parliamentary committee is this:

I wish to offer myself as a witness before the Joint Commission on Human Rights on the subject of the UK government's policy on intelligence cooperation with torture abroad.

I appeared as a witness in person before both the European Parliament and European Council's enquiries into extraordinary rendition. My evidence was described by the European Council's Rapporteur, Senator Dick Marty, as "Compelling and valuable".

The key points I wish to make are these:

- I was British Ambassador in Uzbekistan from 2002 to 2004.
- I learned and confirmed that I was regularly seeing intelligence from detainees in the Uzbek torture chambers, sent me by the CIA via MI6.
- British Ministers and officials were seeing the same torture material.
- In October/November 2002 and January/Februray 2003 I sent two Top Secret telegrams to London specifically on the subject of our receipt of intelligence gained under torture. I argued this was illegal, immoral and impractical. The telegrams were speciifically marked for the Secretary of State.
- I was formally summoned back to the FCO for a meeting held on 7 or 8 March 2003 specifically and solely on the subject of intelligence gained under torture. Present were Linda Duffield, Director Wider Europe, FCO, Sir Michael Wood, Chief Legal Adviser, FCO, and Matthew Kydd, Head of Permanent Under-Secretary's Department, FCO.
- This meeting was minuted. I have seen the record, which is classified Top Secret and was sent to Jack Straw. On the top copy are extensive hand-written marginalia giving Jack Straw's views.
- I was told at this meeting that it is not illegal for us to obtain intelligence gained by torture, provided that we did not do the torture ourselves. I was told that it had been decided that as a matter of War on Terror policy we should now obtain intelligence from torture, following discussion between Jack Straw and Richard Dearlove. I was told that we could not exclude receipt of specific material from the CIA without driving a coach and horses through the universality principle of the UK/US intelligence sharing agreement, which would be detrimental to UK interests.
- Sir Michael Wood's legal advice that it was not illegal to receive intelligence got by torture was sent on to me in Tashkent (copy attached).
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/documents/Wood.pdf- On 22 July 2004

I sent one further telegram on intelligence got by torture, with a lower classification, following FCO communications on the subject. Copy attached.
http://www.craigmurray.org.uk/documents/Telegram.pdf
It was my final communication before being dismissed as Ambassador.

In conclusion, I can testify that beyond any doubt the British government has for at least six years a considered but secret policy of cooperation with torture abroad. This policy legally cleared by government legal advisers and approved by Jack Straw as Secretary of State.

Craig Murray
2 March 2009

Never discuss Politics on the first date

That's my thought for the day. It comes from me watching Brothers and Sisters last night.

On a separate note I had a weird dream this morning, I had gone back to visit my old school and I met four of my old teachers who were exceptionally happy to see me.

Mr S, Mr W, Mr F, and Mr C and two of them were going to do a parachute jump.

Like I say it was a weird dream.

Thankfully I have realised what it means. It means that whatever you do in life, if you put your heart and soul into it, it is worthwhile and part of your life. Seeing them in my dream has given me the courage of my convictions.

Its like they are cheering me on and that from your original teachers is a good portent of things to come.

On another note I see Jack Straw is to review the Self Defence law Link here
This is probably needed but I have a proviso for Jack.

Make sure that the level of reasonable force is appropriate. If you injure and hurt someone who burgles you, or think that because you are using self defence you can let rip and be overly nasty then that is wrong. That will only escalate the situation for as we know injured animals are the most dangerous.

There is also the old adage. Do as you would be done by.

Be careful Jack. Don't put people in danger with this and what's more don't make them into pseudo-police officers either or you risk bringing the fascist state a little bit more closer to full reality.