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Howard's Way.... a weekly column from the Rt. Hon. Michael Howard QC. MP. 

4 June 2009

You will not be surprised to hear that the beginning of this week was taken up with dealing with the allegation about my expenses made by the Daily Telegraph. That allegation was untrue.

Let me set out the position as clearly as I can.

I have a second home in the constituency which I need in order to carry out my duties as a Member of Parliament effectively. For decades Members of Parliament have been able to claim for the cost of a second home through the Additional Costs Allowance in recognition of the fact that we work in two places – Westminster and the constituency. This has always been known about as has the maximum amount claimable under that allowance.

I furnished my second home at my own expense. I have never ‘flipped’ – changed the home I designate as my main home. But I have claimed against the allowance for maintenance – not just for the garden but for the property generally. This was an entirely proper use of the allowance.

I did not claim the maximum amount I could have claimed under the allowance – unlike Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats who over-claimed his allowance last year, including a claim for gardening. Nor have I claimed for my Sky Sports TV subscription – unlike Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister.

In fact I am the 31st least expensive Member of Parliament out of 646 MPs at Westminster. I leave it to you to decide whether I offer value for money.

They way in which my claim was investigated raises serious questions about the conduct of the Daily Telegraph. Its reporter lied – and admitted that she had lied. Not only did she not say who she was when she phoned the person who helps look after my home, she did not tell him why she was phoning and falsely said she’d got his number from a friend. She later admitted – to him and to me – that she had in fact lied. And the headline of the article was untrue – as the Telegraph well knew.

None of this shakes my view that it would be far better if an independent person or body were to decide how much MPs should be paid, what our pensions should be and what allowances, if any, we should have. The system should also be independently enforced.

The sooner we move to such a system the better. But meanwhile please don’t believe everything you read in the papers – not even in the Daily Telegraph.