Why can’t MP commute? (From Basingstoke Gazette)
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Why can’t MP commute?
11:24am Thursday 20th December 2012 in Letters
Maria Miller
Sir.–As someone who spent nearly £25,000 commuting from Basingstoke to London for five years, I have some questions for Basingstoke MP Maria Miller.
1. Why does Basingstoke’s MP need a home in Wimbledon? The commute times into Waterloo are little different (18 mins vs 45 mins) and trains run all night. Reading and Guildford MPs commute to London. Two million constituent journeys are made into London from Basingstoke every year.
2. Why did she claim £90,000 in allowances relating to her then second home in Wimbledon, and then suddenly stop when the expenses scandal broke in 2009?
3. What rent did she pay Nigel McNair Scott on her then Basingstoke “main home” property, and what was the reasonable market rate for such a property?
4. If claiming MP expenses for a house with your parents in is against the rules, why should Maria’s case be any different to that of Labour MP Tony McNulty?
Is it one rule for Tory MPs and another for Labour?
I believe Maria and her husband could easily commute into London and relocate to Basingstoke, with her parents. I believe she should consider her position as MP for Basingstoke if she is not prepared to do this.
–Ex-Labour Popley borough councillor Andrew McCormick, Bingley, West Yorks.
