Newcastle MPs' Snouts Still Stuck In The Expenses Trough

After the huge expenses scandal which made headlines everywhere, (and which was uncovered by BNP candidate Michael Barnbrook, obviously without media recognition) MP's still seem to be needlessly dipping into the tax trough.

A good example of this is Newcastle Central's Labour MP, Chinyelu Onwurah who has claimed over a whopping £8,300 and that was just in the first 3 months after being elected.

Many of her constituents, especially those who voted her in to do a job were appalled to hear that within her first week after being elected, she refused to undertake her duties in parliament to elect a new speaker with her fellow MPs and instead thought it would be more fun to stay in Newcastle 'playing bingo'.

Her expense claims during the three months after election range from inconsiderate to what the majority of people think should be called theft from the taxpayer and illegal.

Onwurah had the audacity to claim twice in July for "Food & Drink @ Parliament" at a time when many are struggling to feed their families thus deeming her £65,000 salary not enough to buy her food with.

Other dubious claims include numerous taxi fares (a luxury that many can not afford) costing £5.00 each to Newcastle Central Station, despite there being good bus routes to the city centre, usually costing no more than £1.50.

Claims which could be considered even more disgraceful than those already mentioned, include a claim for £756.46, described as "Council Tax For 2010".

Onwurah was only elected five months into 2010 so why she feels it is acceptable to claim money from your taxes to pay her taxes, before she was even elected, begs belief if her descriptions are correct.

A similar swindle is also evident when she put in a claim for £334.71 which was described as "Water For 2010" - more than what many people can afford for water when not faced with the luxury of using other people's money.

One local BNP activist told the Newcastle Patriot, "When out leafleting in the Gosforth area of Newcastle before the election, I saw Miss. Onwurah driving about in her convertible sports car.

"I tried to flag her down as I was curious about where she stood on various issues but unfortunately she either didn't see me or just completely ignored me.

"I bet she would have still taken my vote if I had offered it to her though."

MPs' expenses can be found here.

In May 2010, the British National Party contested the Newcastle Central constituency for the first time in it's history with Ken Booth gaining 2,302 votes - coming fourth and polling more than the Green Party and UKIP put together.