Friday 1 February 2008

Cameron - Front bench to register employed family.

David has once again shown a decisiveness not to be found in Gordon Brown's short list of attributes. In response to the Derek Conway fiasco (which he dealt with within 48 hrs) he has ordered a ring-round of Conservative MPs to find out how many employ family members. It turns out that about 70 of them do. Taking the bull by the horns he has announced that all front bench MPs will register (in the members' register of interests) relatives working for them from the 1st of April. This is not a total solution to the problem but it does show that he is taking the problem seriously and taking immediate action. Unlike Brown, he didn't need to set up a committee at the tax payers' expense, and he didn't wait months or years for the results. He acted:

"I think there's a need for greater transparency or openness when it comes to MPs' pay and staff and expenses and allowances. "As a first step I will be asking my front bench colleagues from April this year to register, in the members' register of interests, whether they do employ any family. "It would be a good first step. We want to show that MPs do work hard for their constituents and make good use of money. "What needs to happen more broadly is a change of culture at Westminster."
Lib Dem Simon Hughes has also added to the debate by calling for a ban on MPs employing more than one family member. This is an idea that David Cameron would do well to support.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

He has gall enough for the entire conservative parliamentry party. Ole Flip-flop Cameroonie can sell snake oil with the best of em. He has even taken to showing off Maggie who he has been at pains to keep at arms length, in order to get some support from the grass roots, whom he despises. He not long ago was boasting that he was Blair's heir! Just imagine that. What next? Cameroonies for Islam? No, sorry, he's done that.