Article published in the Daily Mirror

Kevin MaGuire 31/10/2007

Is Britain's cheapest MP actually good value for money?

Tory right-winger Philip "Three Jobs" Hollobone purred when he was declared bottom of the expenses league table.

The £44,551 he claimed was a quarter of the £185,421 of the highest, Labour's Shahid Malik.

But closer scrutiny reveals the figure's so low because the Kettering MP employs no staff to deal with constituents.

His housing and travel costs jumped £9,000 yet that was more than off-set by getting rid of hired help.

How Hollobone does it beats me when he's also a local councillor and director of a green energy firm, incidentally pocketing a £20,000 fee on top of his MP's £60,675 salary.

The former part-time paratrooper prefers to answer each letter, deal with every grievance, personally. Commendable, but mad. I can't help wondering if Hollobone will collapse with exhaustion or be buried under complaints.

We'll find out at the next election. But give me any day an MP who has a local office, lots of staff and a big stamp bill from writing lots of letters.

Because to serve people on the cheap is a false economy.

SHOULD BEING A MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT BE A FULL TIME JOB, WHAT DO YOU THINK ?