Clive Betts MP

Clive hasn't appeared on our radar before but his history certainly makes for colourful reading -

He is the only MP to our knowledge to have been suspended from the House for 7 days (this writer was once given a 7 day suspension for organising an impromptu firework display underneath the housemaster's living quarters - so let it never be said I'm without sympathy) after it was revealed that his new research assistant was in fact a Brazillian rent boy some 30 years his junior.

As the Times points out today - he was also the man behind the MPs housing allowance increase of 42% - defeating his own government.

Let's just put this into perspective.

May 2001
Robin Cook tells a Select Comittee the expenses and allowances practises are a car crash waiting to happen.

June 2001
Labour wins a landslide victory with one of the largest majorities in our electoral history - 167 seats. It is an undefeatable majority. One which will allow it to legislate without fear of defeat in an unprecedented manner.

July 2001
Robin Cook, leader of the House tries to persuade the Commons their allowances and expenses should be referred to an independent review body. Betts succesfully moves an ammendment, defeating his own government's extraordinary majority (and Robin Cook, then Leader of the House) - pushing through the 42% increase in housing allowance. Funny that.

For further amusement, check out Bett's expenses statement on his own website. He's quick to point out that he's always acted within the rules as they were. Today's Times effectively dissects his second/main home record. It doesn't look good, but naturally, it's all within the rules (bound to be - he is a member of the Finance and Services Committee you know. Ed)

We wrote to Betts in May of this year asking whether he was in favour of our Bill. We await his response. Understandable, he is extremely understaffed and forced to employ his live-in partner as a Parliamentary assistant. If he's your MP why not drop him a line at bettsc@parliament.uk ? Better still, he does sound like the sort of person who could do with a Kantometer evaluation.