Conservative Euro-MPs slammed over expense claims

Here’s a selection of the criticisms from today’s News of the World about MEPs and their pay and benefits.

Some of the criticisms are a little wide of the mark (such as pointing out that, shock horror, MEPs get a salary or, ahem, that an MEP has a moustache).

But there are also activities they highlight which are in a very different league:

Tory David Sumberg – dubbed Britain’s laziest MEP for making just two speeches in the chamber since 2004 – admits paying wife Carolyn almost as much as he earns himself!

He gives her up to £60,000 a year for her services as a “secretary/assistant”.

But our records show in 2002 there were payments of £7,922.22 a month in her name. That’s £95,066.64 a year.

His own website boasts she is also a mature student and has another income as a freelance translator…

Moustachioed top Tory Roger Helmer is another MEP filling his boots. He has set himself up as a champion for openness and transparency in Brussels. But in an unguarded moment he bragged to our reporter of his plans to exploit the crazy expenses system for thousands more – by tweaking the way his home address is listed.

The idea is to make his home in Ashby Magna, Leics, appear at least 1,000 kilometres from Strasbourg –  which under crazy Euro allowance rules will net him an extra £135 every time he flies there – £1,620 a year.

At present the distance is calculated from his postal town Lutterworth, which makes it 996km.

UPDATE: The long-running series of scandals didn’t pan out well for the Conservatives.