MP: 'I've nothing to be ashamed of'
May 27 2009 By Adam Courtney
David Wilshire MP
UNREPENTANT Spelthorne MP David Wilshire has admitted claiming expenses for travel between his Somerset home and his constituency, but insisted: “I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.”
In an interview with the Herald & News this week, he admitted to claiming an extra £6,000 annually on travel, part of which included claims for travel “two or three times per month” from his house near Ilminster, Somerset.
His admission has left constituents furious and one, Sophie Neivens, a mother-of-two from Shepperton, said: “Why does he have a house down there if he is representing us anyway? He certainly shouldn’t be claiming money for the travel – he should pay for that himself.”
Revelations last week showed Mr Wilshire was among the top six expense-claiming MPs nationwide, having clawed back more than £438,000 in the past three years, a figure that does not include travel expenses.
Somerset-born Mr Wilshire, who also divides his time between a flat in London and his partner’s home in Hanworth Park, denied any wrongdoing in the expenses furore, saying: “Do I feel guilty? I feel sad. I ask myself if I’ve got anything to be ashamed of, to which I reply, ‘no’.”
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