Maria Miller is the "one to watch" according to her colleagues

9:10am Tuesday 11th December 2012 in Local By Adam Richards

BASINGSTOKE MP Maria Miller has been singled out by her parliamentary colleagues as the “one to watch”.

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport scooped the “rising star” award at The House Awards on November 28. Mrs Miller said it was “an honour” to receive the accolade.

The annual awards are run by House Magazine, a weekly political magazine run by MP’s from all parties, and distributed within Westminster.

She was up against Labour’s Liverpool Walton MP Steve Rotheram, and Liberal Democrat business minister and East Dunbartonshire MP Jo Swinson.

Her nomination citation pointed to her rapid rise up the Conservative Party ranks to the front bench. She became a member of the Cabinet in September after serving as Minister for Disabled People in the Department for Work and Pensions.

It read: “After an assured stint as a minister, the new Culture Secretary’s career continues to move in an upwards direction.”

The winner was chosen by votes from MPs and Peers in the House of Lords.

Mrs Miller told The Gazette: “I am really delighted to have won this award. “It’s a great honour to have been recognised in this way by fellow MPs and Peers.

“The important thing for me is to continue to work hard to represent Basingstoke in Parliament as well as dealing with the wide range of high-profile issues facing me as Culture Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities.”

Comments(22)

Jonty11 says...
1:10pm Tue 11 Dec 12

For be it from me to suggest that the Basingstoke Gazette is in any way biased towards our local MP but it is interesting that the article from the Telegraph exposing her use of allowances - here - http://www.telegraph
.co.uk/news/newstopi
cs/mps-expenses/9736
153/MPs-expenses-Cul
ture-Secretary-Maria
-Millers-90000-claim
s-for-parents-home.h
tml

Well this doesn't appear to have been considered newsworthy by the Baz Gaz - any chance of a bit of balance in the reporting?

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popleyrebel2 says...
2:39pm Tue 11 Dec 12

Maria Miller is the “one to watch” therefore, the Gazette should watch her very closely and challenge her on issues that affect her constituency.

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sonobuoy says...
3:28pm Tue 11 Dec 12

I agree with the previous two points.
Why has the local paper not investigated/ commented on the Daily Telegraph story re the £90,000 expenses claimed by MM on a 2nd home where her parents were living.
Also: does the "one to watch" tag not primarily mark her out as a "career politician" rather than somebody who will be fighting hard for Basingstoke folk?

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Opinions_opinions says...
3:46pm Tue 11 Dec 12

Something I tried to bring to The Gazette's attention some years ago, but they did not want to publish the story. It will be interesting to see if they follow this up now. What is also interesting was how she flipped her second home just after the expenses scandal broke. Also, her so called primary residence, which was a rented property in Old Basing is believed to have been owned by a rather generous Tory donor. Make from that what you want.

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BugBear says...
4:30pm Tue 11 Dec 12

If you haven't realised before that The Gazette has a bias favouring our esteemed MP then you must be one of those that also believe the BBC isn't populated by left wing lovies.

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Opinions_opinions says...
4:46pm Tue 11 Dec 12

Mr BugBear ... I am under no illusions that this paper is nothing but 100% behind Maria Miller. This has been very evident over the years when not one bit of contentious news has been published about her. Anyone know why ? (said with a smirk on face)

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popleyrebel2 says...
6:07pm Tue 11 Dec 12

The findings of the Leveson inquiry to the behaviour of the press has thrown up that old chestnut
“freedom of speech” and to be honest, I believe in freedom of speech, however, what did emerge from Leveson is another old chestnut, “never let the truth/facts get the way of good story” therefore, some in the press abused our Freedom of speech and as a consequence all must suffer.
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Maria Miller MP was quick to support local papers, rightly so, as most hold their Councils and MP to account, unfortunately however, that can’t be said about her own local paper (Gazette)
Freedom of speech must be maintained therefore the Gazette must throw off their shackles and start challenging those in authority.
Publishing statement just isn’t good enough.

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Best_Name_Ever says...
9:30pm Tue 11 Dec 12

I could easily guessed the main three contributors to this post before even clicking on it....

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popleyrebel2 says...
10:08pm Tue 11 Dec 12

Best_Name_Ever
Are we wrong to criticise Maria Miller MP and the Gazette for not holding her to account?

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Mighty Antar says...
12:50am Wed 12 Dec 12

I think you guys are being harsh. What's wrong with claiming £477 for crockery?

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Opinions_opinions says...
9:39am Wed 12 Dec 12

What is going to be interesting to see is if this story goes anywhere, locally or nationally. We all know Maria Miller has never lived in Basingstoke and the likelihood is that she never will. However, she represents us ( and I use the word represents lightly) from her family home in Merton, London. The same family home she has lived in for many years. The same family home that mysteriously became her second home when it came to Parliamentary expenses. The same family home that we, as taxpayers, have been paying for through the nose which Maria Miller will be profiting from. The Telegraph reporter has got a story here, yet it will be buried one way or another as it would appear Maria Miller is in favour with senior Tories and other news reporters. A cynic may think there are deeper forces at work ! So .. a question to the audience. Has anyone ever seen Maria Miller in Basingstoke doing shopping ? At the cinema ? In a coffee shop (Starbucks !) ? In M&S ? Has anyone ever in fact seen Maria Miller in Basingstoke without the Gazette following her around ready for the photo call ?

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hoot_gibson says...
10:44am Wed 12 Dec 12

Maria Miller
A Cameron groupie who uses this constituency to further her political ambitions.
She does nothing for the voters here her career is all that counts.
Now she has be found out pocketing some £90,000 in tax-payers money allegedly illegally and reported by a fellow MP.
She to me is a disgrace with the gravitas of a pound of haddock fillets

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Upontheroof says...
12:31pm Wed 12 Dec 12

Yes, she is one to watch and one that I would like to see walking away from her position - without a nice payoff package.

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Cynical Reader says...
12:41pm Wed 12 Dec 12

Does anyone at the 'Gazette' actually read any of the comments put on it's website?
If they do, just say "Yes".
Otherwise we are all wasting our time.

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Opinions_opinions says...
1:37pm Wed 12 Dec 12

Yes they do read them as there have been many comments removed by myself and others over the years. But they try and pretend to remain unbiased which is why they sometimes allow this sort of banter on the online pages as they know it doesn't get the same amount of readers as the hardcopy each week. If they pulled everything negative about Maria Miller every time someone posted something, they would lose a large number of readers and could find themselves having to answer some tricky questions if someone was to take the story national and prove how The Gazette are controlling only positive news towards Maria Miller.

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popleyrebel2 says...
2:01pm Wed 12 Dec 12

The Daily Telegraph contacted Maria Millers aide about allegations she claimed more than £90,000 expenses for her second home where her parents lived.
However, before responding to their story, her “SPECIAL” adviser Joanna Hindley decided to “FLAG UP” the minister’s involvement in implementing the Leveson press regulations.
Furthermore, in her defence over the £90,000 allowance Maria Miller MP used her parent’s disability as the reason for living in her second home, (paid for by the taxpayer).
Remember, this was the minister who penalised the disabled.
It’s a disgrace.

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Opinions_opinions says...
2:32pm Wed 12 Dec 12

Polpey .. you need to get on the other thread "Maria Miller hits back" .. unbelievable ... although it's not really is it .. as this is how we expect our MP's to behave. Is there a way of finding out publically if Maria Miller is on the Board or involved in any other organisations where her services are paid for ?

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Opinions_opinions says...
2:34pm Wed 12 Dec 12

Found this

http://searchthemone
y.com/profile/432

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Upontheroof says...
2:45pm Wed 12 Dec 12

Interesting link - yikes!

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popleyrebel2 says...
3:02pm Wed 12 Dec 12

Opinions_opinions
Checked it out, same old story. The Gazette publishing a statement from Maria Miller MP, “WITHOUT ANY QUESTIONS ASKED”
However, we can take the credit (comments) that have forced her to make that statement, sadly however, the Gazette has no credibility.

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BugBear says...
3:43pm Wed 12 Dec 12

Sad to say but Maria Miller is not unique. She is the norm not the unusual and that is the sad fact of contemporary British political life, rotten to the core, untrustworthy, unprincipled and morally corrupt. Once the envy of the world, our parliament now houses people not worthy of the trust we put in them. Gutless self-serving career carpetbaggers creaming off all they can in the name of democracy but in reality perpetuating the power of 'the party' be it Tory, Labour or LibDem, makes no difference, they are as one and exist only for their own self-enrichment. None of the creeps would get my vote.

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Cynical Reader says...
4:00pm Wed 12 Dec 12

Don't vote. It just makes them think you trust them!

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