Full marks to the Daily Telegraph for exposing the absurd expenses claims from MPs of which Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy and our very own beloved Culture Secretary Andy Burnham have surely come up with the most ridiculous.
Murphy claimed 3k for a new plumbing system because the water from his old boiler was 'too hot' while, among other things, Burnham claimed for a bathrobe. John Prescott meanwhile claimed for mock Tudor beams and two loo seats. The PM says that MPs are not to blame - it is, of course, the fault of the system.
The Daily Telegraph may have paid for these revelations (something that MPs appear to be strangers to) and although cheque book journalism has got a bad reputation in reality it's just an explicit acknowledgment of a transaction that usually works on a 'you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours' basis.
Look forward to more revelations to come.
