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YOU HAVE TO PAY BROWN'S TV LICENCE

Gordon Brown: Relaxed about his expenses being made public

Saturday April 5,2008

By Macer Hall and Sarah O’Grady

Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(70)

GORDON Brown forces taxpayers to meet the cost of his annual TV licence and cleaning bills, it was revealed yesterday.

The details of the Prime Minister’s expenses were exposed when the shocking scale of how senior MPs stuff their pockets with your money was published for the first time.

Figures forced out of House of Commons authorities also showed that taxpayers paid ex-PM Tony Blair’s TV licence, cleaning and mortgage but also how his former deputy John Prescott gorged on £4,000-worth of groceries paid for by public money in a year.

While enjoying plush grace-and-favour accommodation, Prescott also took nearly £2,000 for his own council tax while presiding over the doubling of the charge for millions of struggling families and pensioners.

Supposedly prudent Gordon Brown managed to claim more than £11,800 in a year for air travel from his home in Scotland.

Why are ministers on generous salaries who live in free homes allowed to charge council tax and food bills to the taxpayer

Matthew Elliott, of the TaxPayers Alliance

The figures released yesterday cover two financial years up to April 2006, but Downing Street sources confirmed that nothing has changed.

Mr Brown also claimed £1,941 for “TV subscriptions/licence, internal upkeep” in 2005-06. The Prime Minister is known to frequently enjoy watching live football on Sky television.

A Downing Street spokesman last night dismissed criticism of Mr Brown’s expenses claims.

She said: “The Prime Minister has always been relaxed about his expenses being made public.”

Mr Brown’s aides said most of the £1,941 was spent on “internal maintenance” for the Downing Street flat he used as Chancellor.

A source close to Mr Brown said: “He has the normal Sky TV package, including the news and Parliamentary channels.”

The grubby details of the Westminster gravy train were released by Commons Speaker Michael Martin yesterday.

He finally conceded some ground to Freedom Of Information requests after months of wrangling. But campaigners still face a high court battle to try to force into the open the complete breakdown of MPs’ lavish expenditure.

Critics of the regime were appalled by the latest “snouts in the trough” evidence last night.

Matthew Elliott, of the TaxPayers Alliance campaign, said: “Why are ministers on generous salaries who live in free homes allowed to charge council tax and food bills to the taxpayer?

“Taxpayers will be shocked to learn that their money was used to fill John Prescott’s belly rather than improve ordinary people’s lives.”

Pensioner groups also reacted with fury.

Neil Duncan-Jordan, of the National Pensioners Convention, said: “Most people have to wait until they reach 75 before they get a free TV licence, and pensioners will be furious to learn that the former Prime Minister was getting his paid for by the taxpayer.

“If politicians want to enjoy these pensioner benefits they should also be prepared to live on the state pension of just £90.70 a week.”

Age Concern Director General Gordon Lishman said: “The 4.2 per cent increase in the TV licence fee announced in the Budget is more than the increase announced in the basic state pension.

“Although people aged 75 years or older are entitled to free TV licences, many pensioners younger than 75 are on low fixed incomes and would like to be able to get a free TV licence or at least to pay a reduced rate.”

The figures yesterday showed the breakdown of claims under the MPs’ Additional Costs Allowance, which provides funds for running second homes that allows them to claim up to £22,000 a year.

Mr Brown claimed £2,450 of mortgage payments and also got back £2,380 for cleaning in one year.

He did not claim for any family travel but made two plane journeys from his Dunfermline constituency to London costing a total of £11,826.

Mr Brown, then the Chancellor, made no claim for mortgage interest payments, but received £137 to cover ground rent.

His Additional Costs Allowance claim in 2005-06 included £4,981 for cleaning, as well as £4,918 for repairs, insurance and security, £2,385 for food, £2,132 for service and maintenance and £1,941 for “TV subscriptions/licence and internal upkeep”.

Former Prime Minister Mr Blair – who quit the Commons last year – claimed £3,958 for his mortgage, £1,558 for utility bills, £672 for council tax and £1,331 for cleaning in the year 2005-06.

The cash was for his home Myrobella in his County Durham constituency of Sedgefield even though he spent much of his time at 10 Downing Street.

He also claimed £642 for his dishwasher and television licence.

And he claimed £663.22 for telephone expenses in one month while £365.22 was claimed back for travel by wife Cherie. Two staff members were costing the taxpayer more than £6,800 a month by the end of the tax year. In the previous year, former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott claimed £4,000 for “food and provisions”, £2,953 for utility bills, £1,325 for his mortgage and £7,675 for repairs and maintenance, despite his grace-and-favour accommodation.

He made 32 rail journeys costing £3,550 and his wife Pauline’s travel cost the taxpayer £1,481.

He spent £1,712 on computer equipment.

Tory leader David Cameron claimed £21,293 in mortgage payments in a single year.

TO KEEP IT LEGAL, OUR ONLY RESOURCE IS THE BALLOT BOX.

07.04.08, 5:06pm

We must vote this government out of power.

The first chance we have is in the local elections next month. Please make your vote count by bolstering the tories who have far more chance of success than the other fringe parties.

It's not that I approve of this party, it's just a safer bet to consign this corrupt NuLab outfit to history, then we can concentrate on lobbying the newly elected version of money grabbers into a honourable gvmt is all.

But the feel good factor wiill be back as we see the demise of the worst british government in living memory.

• Posted by: tinhead • Report Comment

TINHEAD

07.04.08, 10:28am

People are happy to take to the streets in defence of Tibet but have no stomach to protest the gross maladministration in our government.
We should ALL of us refuse to pay the iniquitous council tax,parking and speeding fines and the hated tv tax.
Unfortunately,this would take organisation,no good doing it in isolation.
Some very brave pensioners have resisted the council tax and we should all have joined them but we let them down.
Over to you mate.

• Posted by: thewarlord • Report Comment

GHOSTDOG

06.04.08, 9:15pm

Every teardrop of frustration, every bead of sweat from the brow forms a rivulet that becomes a stream then a river, and triutaries join it and it becomes a raging torrent that will sweep away with irresistable force any obstacle that stands in it's way.

The scene is set. It's just like a lull before the storm. Like even the silence that decends before a major batle ensues. There will be a new order established soon.

• Posted by: tinhead • Report Comment

FEEL THE RAGE

06.04.08, 1:50pm

All those of you out there who are enraged at the way our country is being stripped bare, and divided, know what to do. you're looking for assurance that the rest of the country are feeling the some way as yourselves, and they are.But we all have to take part and not just hide behind the monitors. All we need is a catilyst.Lech Walesa did it for Poland, we can do it for Britain. Movements can spring up overnight when passions overspill. Party politics in this country will have to change if we seek true democracy, and only the will of the people can do it(all 60 million of us).

• Posted by: ghostdog • Report Comment