Sunday, June 24, 2007

Blair and Prescott stay on in grace and favour homes

Can you imagine what the Labour Party would have said if, after Margaret Thatcher left office, she had carried on living in Chequers? Can you imagine how Alastair Campbell would've portrayed a Deputy Prime Minister who resigned from Government but stayed on in a grace and favour home at the taxpayers expense? The charge of sleaze would have been thrown around and briefed to the press over and over again, of that you can be sure.

A couple of days ago it was reported that Tony and Cherie Blair, apparently because they're Connaught Square home is not ready yet (tough), will be waited on hand and foot at Chequers at the taxpayers expense after leaving Downing Street. And now today, we learn that John Prescott has cut a deal with Sir Gus O’Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary, to be allowed stay on in his grace and favour Admiralty House flat, apparently whilst he searches for alternative accommodation.

Without wishing to sound like I'm "outraged of Kent" how exactly is this not outright piss taking on their part? Seriously, if you leave office, you leave office. You don't step down and then carry on taking all the perks as if you were still in the job. They've both known their leaving date for well over a month, so claiming that they've not found somewhere to crash in the evening is, frankly, complete bollocks.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can they afford market rents ? There is no way the Inland Revenue can claim they have official duties in connection with these properties and the Chequers Deed and Trust must exclude Blair from enjoying its benefits........or is the taxpayer indemnifying them against HMRC demands ?

Flavious said...

Bollocks is right Dizzy, maybe they should have considered getting one of their numberless minions on the job, or even cutting short their pathetic "farewell tours" typical of these two freebie addicts though. But ffs fat boy 2 jags hasn't even had a bloody job for the last 6 months wtf is his excuse?

Richard Havers said...

Having just watched Prezzer on Andrew Marr how can you say such a thng about a man who has single handed saved the nation?

http://haveringhavers.blogspot.com/2007/06/i-did-it-my-way.html

Old BE said...

Is Blunkett still in the Home Secretary's official residence?

Can't the Blairs and Prescotts go to their constituency residences? After all what do they need to be in London for?

Lis of the North said...

It's no worse than France; here former public office-holders get varying levels of taxpayer-paid perks long after they leave office: apartments, chauffeur and a car for them to chauffeur, etc etc. Doesn't, of course, make it OK. I suppose the UK's just becoming more "continental" ha ha ha.
No seriously they must take us for total fools. Oh, yes, in fact they do.