Skipper

After the terrible mauling suffered by Gordon and the Labour Party over the last few months, I have to admit, as a Labpour supporter, a feeling of relief as, it seems, the pendulum of bad news has swung to the right of centre with the news of the four recalcitrant Tories who seem to have- 'whoops a daisy'- mispent their expenses. The Conway affair is ancient history but this flurry of embarrassments seems set to cause Dave just as much trouble. Especially embarrassing for Cameron is the seniority of the people involved: Giles Chichester(son of Sir Francis no less) had been tasked by Cameron- in the wake of the Conway affair- with ensuring rules regarding expenses were spent strictly according to the MEP rules; Den Dover was the Chief whip if Tory MEPs; and Spelman, the party's chair.

Having said all that, and imbibed only moderately on the nectar of schadenfreude, I have to agree with one columnist that it seems maybe a tad unfair on Spelman. As Yvonne Roberts points out:

It's a bit rum that in a profession awash with allowances, including the cost of staying away from home, office expenses and a London supplement, there's no allowance for the one job that should matter as much if not more: someone to care for the children.

So it's 'thank God the pressure's off Gordon for a while' but also 'hasn't Spelman (and fellow women MPs) a case for child care being paid, in any case?' I think they have.