WINTERTONS SHOULD GIVE ALLOWANCE MONEY BACK - MULHOLLAND

5.25.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 18th Jun 2008

Greg Mulholland, MP for Leeds North West, has called on for the funds received by Sir Nicholas Winterton MP and his wife Ann Winterton MP as payments for their second home - criticised today by the Parliamentary Standards Watchdog - should be paid back.

It emerged that the Wintertons had paid £21,600 a year of Commons allowances to their own family trust, of which their children were beneficiaries.

Greg has written to John Lyon CB, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, to formally request that the Wintertons be compelled to give this money back.

Commenting Greg said:

"In any other job abusing expenses would lead to dismissal and many companies would seek to reclaim any money misappropriated by people for personal gain.

"This would not be tolerated elsewhere, so there is absolutely no reason why it should be a different rule for MPs.

"This money should be paid back, and it is time that abuses of parliamentary allowances were taken much more seriously.

This kind of scandal gives MPs a bad name and it is time to both tighten the rules and increase penalties for breaching them if we want to restore public confidence."