Labour MP Janet Anderson feels expenses heat

May 26 2009 by Adrian Pearson, The Journal

A NORTH EAST-born MP yesterday became the latest to fall foul of the expenses backlash griping Parliament.

Labour MP Janet Anderson, who hails from Jarrow, has come under scrutiny over her travel costs.

Questions are being asked over how she and other MPs were together able to spend millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on travel while their mileage claims went largely unchecked.

As the MPs’ expenses scandal showed little sign of abating, last night two Conservative MPs became the latest to announce they were stepping down at the next General Election.

Husband and wife MPs Sir Nicholas and Ann Winterton were recently named in the Daily Telegraph as having claimed £80,000 in parliamentary allowances for a flat owned by a trust controlled by their children, but party sources said it was not known whether the expenses furore played a part in their decision to retire.

In a letter to party leader David Cameron, Sir Nicholas and Lady Winterton said that they could no longer “maintain the hectic pace” of political life and wanted to step down in order to spend more time with their family.

Mr Cameron said the decision “could not have been easy” for the pair. He said: “Never before has a husband and wife team served the House of Commons for a total of 65 years and this is something you can both be very proud of.”