Our MEPs love gravy (not just the northern ones)

In a week when our national representatives have been lambasted for expenses fiddling, the Times has picked up on how sleaze infects those who ply their trade across the channel.

According to the Times:

They are the new aristocrats of Europe — elected representatives who enjoy free holidays, dinners at Michelin-starred restaurants, an on-call chauffeur service and generous second pensions funded entirely by the taxpayer.

One well-known trick involves the overseas travel allowance, an annual pot of €3,500 (£2,650) a year for trips outside of Europe on EU business. It was too much to resist for the British MEP said to have enjoyed a relaxing holiday in Thailand.

“I remember him coming back from his summer holiday boasting about how he pulled a fast one,” said one Brussels official yesterday, who refused to name the MEP.

“He went to Thailand for a holiday and made sure that he popped into the European Commission office in Bangkok for a half-hour meeting. This was officially recorded and used to claim the whole trip on expenses.”

Currently annual pay is the same as the national MP salary, giving €87,358 a year to British MEPs but only €9,276 to Bulgarian members. They cannot wait for next year, however, when a new flat rate of about €84,000 will be introduced.

Read the full article here