Alistair Darling's disgraceful claim for personal tax advice.

The complete dregs of humanity from which the British Government's Cabinet of Ministers and Secretaries of State is comprised is horrendously thrown under the spotlight in the Daily Telegraph this morning, linked here, it begins:

Alistair Darling, along with others including Hazel Blears, Geoff Hoon and Jacqui Smith, have all claimed for the costs of accountancy advice using expenses intended to fund their parliamentary and constituency offices.

A tax expert described the claims as “scandalous”, especially as the expenses are tax-free.

Under HM Revenue and Customs rules, most people are not allowed to claim the cost of employing an accountant to fill in a self-assessment tax form as a legitimate business expense.

Hilary Benn who up to this date had been one of the few senior Labour Party figures to escape the expenses scandal is also shown as culpable today. Another quote:

In total, the taxpayer has spent more than £11,000 on accountants for Cabinet ministers. A bill submitted by Mr Darling in February, 2008, included the cost of receiving tax advice for “the treatment of rental expenses against income”. During 2007, Mr Darling rented out his London flat after becoming Chancellor and moving into a grace-and-favour apartment.

In total, the Chancellor claimed more than £1,400 for accountancy bills in two years.

Among other items of particular note to me from the mass of outrageous claims revealed this morning are these:

Ed Balls tried to claim for two Remembrance Day poppy wreaths, but was refused:

Three members of the Cabinet claimed for a media trainer to advise them. Harriet Harman, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, charged more than £10,000 to the taxpayer for Scarlett MccGwire to offer advice.

Eight ministers, including Yvette Cooper, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and Miss Blears, bought digital cameras or camcorders using their office expenses.

Several ministers were warned by the Commons authorities for attempting to use parliamentary expenses to fund overtly political campaigning.

Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, bought a £240 Apple iPhone for her husband on expenses. He works as her assistant.

At 04:13 am this morning (yes I am up that early covering this horror story!) BBC News TV Channel had a spokesman on trying to spin this story on behalf of their paymasters that these accountancy bills covered their MP office expenses and were thus legitimate. Utter rubbish of course, a quick read of the Telegraph report shows that one of Darling's claims was as follows:

A bill submitted by Mr Darling in February, 2008, included the cost of receiving tax advice for “the treatment of rental expenses against income”.

Another burning question, now of ever greater significance, if the nation is to emerge from this mess is the following:

For how much longer must BBC License fee-payers have to watch their money being wasted on the broadcast of lies and outright propaganda in favour of a totalitarian state?