The Liberal Democrat MP for Cheadle, Mark Hunter, has been hauled over hot coals by the House of Commons’ Committee on Standards and Privileges for misusing his communications allowance. Hunter joins Bolton West Labour MP Ruth Kelly in the Greater Manchester misuse of allowances hall of shame.
Whilst both Kelly and Hunter have rightly been punished for stepping over the line and breaking the rules, the very nature of the communications allowance means that MPs skirt as close to that legal line as possible. Party colours and data collection are not against the rules but both are clearly against the spirit of taxpayer funded communication, and yet they are used widely by local Labour MPs like our own Worsley MP Barbara Keeley (see here and here - oh and also here for how to screw it up).
I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it again now – these allowances lead to pseudo-party political campaigning and are nothing more than propaganda on the rates. If Labour MPs want to spend £10000 to deliver bright red and yellow newsletters to their constituents then they ought to pay for it themselves or fund it through their local parties. The Communications Allowance must be scrapped – pronto.
MPs of all parties do this – and I agree with you Iain; it should stop. We both know damn well that until the rules change it will continue though.