MPs Quit - and Blame the Voters

MPs caught up in the expenses scandal blamed the anger of their constituents and the public backlash for their decision to quit Parliament.

Ben Chapman, Labour, and Anthony Steen, a Conservative, said that they would stand down at the next election while maintaining that they had done nothing wrong.

In an astonishing outburst Mr Steen, who spent £90,000 on his second home, including big sums for lopping trees in its grounds, said that his critics were jealous because he lived in a large house. He blamed the Freedom of Information Act for his plight and asked what right the public had to interfere with his private life.

“I’ve done nothing criminal, that’s the most awful thing, and do you know what it’s about? Jealousy,” he told the BBC. “I’ve got a very, very large house. Some people say it looks like Balmoral. It’s a merchant’s house of the 19th century. It’s not particularly attractive, it just does me nicely.”

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