First-class fool! Veteran Tory Sir Nicholas Winterton blasts new rule that says MPs must travel with the rest of us in economy

Published 18th Feb 2010

Tory grandee Sir Nicholas Winterton has come out fighting over the expenses row, complaining that MPs are no longer allowed to travel first-class.

The Conservative MP, seemingly oblivious to the public's anger over the issue, said he was ' infuriated' that politicians had to travel with ordinary members of the public.

In an extraordinary interview with Total Politics magazine, Sir Nicholas, 71, spoke of his outrage that he has to 'stand when there are no seats'.

Sir Nicholas, who is stepping down at the General Election, has faced intense criticism over his expenses after he and his Tory MP wife Ann - who is also leaving Parliament - claimed more than £80,000 in rent for a London flat owned by a trust controlled by their children.

The couple were criticised by Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards John Lyons over the arrangement, which was alleged to have been designed to save hundreds of thousands of pounds in death duties.

But Sir Nicholas was yesterday unrepentant and instead launched a scathing attack on auditor Sir Thomas Legg, who carried out a recent review of MPs' expenses.

He said: 'The man is raking it in. Do you know how much he has earned for chairing the review? So far, £142,000. 'And they want to stop MPs travelling first-class.

'That puts us below local councillors and officers of local government. They all travel first-class. Majors in the Army travel first class.

'So we are supposed to stand when there are no seats. I'm sorry, it infuriates me.'

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'It is clear that Sir Nicholas still simply doesn't understand how much times have changed on expenses. His attitude still seems to be that MPs should be pampered and indulged at taxpayers' expense, despite everything that has happened.'

Sir Nicholas is one of 11 retiring MPs interviewed in the latest issue of the magazine.

Fellow Tory Sir Michael Spicer, who claimed for a chandelier to be hung in his manor house, complained that owning a second home was a 'sweat'. Sir Michael insisted that life was tougher for an MP than most people thought.

He said: 'My wife was quite keen [for me to stand down] in the end because of the commuting. Having two houses is portrayed in the press as quite glamorous, but actually it's quite a sweat.

'She just got to the point where she said: "I just can't go on with this".'

Other MPs interviewed by the magazine include Liberal Democrat Mark Oaten, who was exposed for a sex scandal involving a male prostitute.

Mr Oaten admitted he was 'demoralised' after the scandal and had wanted to stand down for a while.

He said: 'My legacy will be "scandal MP". That's just a done deal.'

Labour MP Derek Wyatt said the long hours at Westminster played a role in the breakdown of his marriage.

He added: 'I now see that I was a workaholic doing 80 to 100 hours a week. Parliament has got to be family-friendly.

'It's just a load of Horlicks what we are doing . . . frankly, we are ****ing in the wind.'

Source: ' Daily Mail '

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