It is only right that this month’s article concentrates on the question of MP’s allowances and expenses and as someone who has been brought into the news I feel the need to put the record straight. Since being elected in 1997, I have always acted on what I considered were the best interests of my constituents and certainly not for financial gain. However I decided at an early stage not to purchase a property in London as a second home but to rent instead as it was not my priority to get into the ‘housing market’ in order to make a potential ‘profit’. It was necessary however to have somewhere to stay in London whilst I was carrying out my parliamentary duties and it was for this reason, that I rented. It was clear however, in the first few years that the rent and other costs were in excess of the allowance at that time and therefore it did cost me personally for that decision. I never claimed for anything at any time other than was necessary for me to carry out my duties as your MP, and never knowingly did anything that would have compromised my integrity or do damage to our parliamentary system.

My decision to change the lease ownership of my rented property in London did not result in any additional costs for the taxpayer.  I did receive a payment from the new owners of the lease  - not the taxpayer - as a result of the change, but so did other tenants in the complex, some of whom were not Members of Parliament.  I decided to leave the rented property when a rent increase of 20% was being sought by the landlords; I considered this to be excessive and not good value for taxpayers’ money.  I therefore gave up the lease at this point and have been staying mainly in budget hotels since that time, with the result that my allowances for 2008 – 09 have saved in excess of £10,000 for the taxpayer.

The past 3 weeks or so have not been a good time to be an MP and there have been times I considered throwing in the towel - not through any wrong doing but more to do with the effect it is having on me personally.  However, recent action by the Tories to get to power at any cost has made me realise that there is more at stake than my feelings of despair. I consider that the work I have done in my terms as MP has been relatively successful in all aspects and I can see the benefit a Labour Government has had on a place like Great Yarmouth. Everything the local Tories are trying to take the credit for would not have been possible if it were not for a Labour Government and I think I have played an important part in this – from the outer harbour to the St Georges Theatre, money for our local schools and for our health service which have brought huge benefits to the constituents of Great Yarmouth.

I for one will not take any lessons from someone parachuted in from Essex who knows very little about me or the constituency. I lived through the Tory years in Great Yarmouth and saw the effects then, I don’t want that back again. So I will stay and fight for what I know is right and put my record to the electorate at the time of the next election based on what transformations there have been , what I have done and what is seen and not, on what appears to be, the desperation politics of mud slinging. All I ask is people judge me on what I have done for Great Yarmouth and my work for the constituents of Great Yarmouth.