InVinceCable We Trust

With a few hours to spare before Match of The Day begins, what better task is there than logging onto the Daily Telegraph website and delving into the world of the parliamentary expenses scandal.

An early flight out of Heathrow tomorrow morning and a poor offering on television until 10:30pm means spending Saturday night indoors and reviewing the expenses of three MPs ahead of Channel 4’s “Ask the Chancellors” debate on Monday at 8pm.

Alistair Darling, George Osborne, and Vince Cable will contest a live debate where they will champion their stewardship of Britain’s sickly economic.  The debate will pare increases in taxation with cuts to public spending under what is almost certainly to be a government of austerity.

Naturally I’m rather keen to see how the trio has spent tax payers’ money to date when, sooner or later, one of the would-be chancellors will ask for more money to reduce the country’s budget deficit.

When it comes to fiscal prudence, our man Vince Cable is a walking and talking example. Under the Additional Cost Allowance, dubbed the “second home allowance”, Vince chooses not to claim expenses for his home in the outer London constituency of Twickenham and instead commutes by train to Westminster. Not a penny asked for.

By comparison, the shadow Chancellor George Osborne claimed £87,441 between 2004/5 and 2007/8, with £19,438 reclaimed in mortgage costs for his constituency home in Cheshire during 2007/8. He has also claimed a grand for food.

Meanwhile, Alistair Darling claimed £65,289 during the same period, around a quarter less than George Osborne, but perhaps more seriously was accused by the Daily Telegraph of being “a classic flipper – making four separate home designations covering three different properties in the space of as many years”.

Here’s hoping that Channel 4’s moderator on the night, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, will enlighten watchers with the knowledge that Vince hasn’t had his fingers in the till and that his moral authority during the expenses scandal makes him well-placed to handle the nation’s finances and economic recovery.

And if that’s not enough, the above video shows that he’s pretty light on his feet.

Sadly I will miss the debate as my job takes me to Berlin for two days but we would love to hear your thoughts and comments about it. Oh, better go, MOTD is on soon…

Chris