MPs expense claims - has anything really changed?

Here's an interesting article from the Guardian about the continued high level of expenses claimed by Westminster MPs showing that the actual amount claimed has risen since the expenses scandal of 2009. The actual amount may not be significant as, one of the changes brought about by the scandal was that claims need to be transparent so that MPs can be held to account. Again, the article suggests that some types of claim (the infamous trick of 'flipping houses', for instance) are still not clearly indicated.

The MP expense scandal of 2009 has had a significant and profound effect on UK politics. The fact that a huge proportion of MPs were shown to milking public funds to maximise their own income caused a seismic change in trust between politicians and UK voters. This drop in trust can be linked to a growth in voter apathy and a lift-up to the non-establishment parties (such as UKIP and the SNP) enabling them to establish a genuine foothold in British politics and government power.