MPs interns have often been on the frontline in the expenses scandal. It is they who pick up the phone when the Telegraph call or are left to draft replies to angry constituents. The Daily Mail is reporting a new twist in this story: ‘the intern excuse’.
“Labour MP Rosie Cooper is the latest culprit of ridiculous expenses claims after she charged taxpayers for an array of sweets, crisps, cakes, ice creams and doughnuts.
But Ms Cooper insisted last night that the junk food purchases were made for an unpaid Westminster intern…
‘The claims are for the reimbursement of subsistence costs incurred by interns working unpaid in my Parliamentary Office,’ she said.
‘Parliament covers these costs as the individual is working without a salary and internships should be open to all, not just those with the financial means to support themselves.’”
A valid explanation or a convenient excuse? Perhaps one of the said interns could shed some light on this?
So Rosie Cooper sees these titbits as a good way of covering the salary she isn’t paying? And that by supplying her intern with Kit Kats and McCoys crisps, that that opens up a career in Westmister to those who haven’t got the financial means to support themselves? Sweet Jesus, these people are seriously out of touch with real life.
“Let them eat cake” did for Marie Antoinette, which of these 650 shall we put first on the guillotine?
i feel sorry for her. the picture and the headline are pretty harsh.
hahahaha
Uh, Marie Antoinette most likely did not say that, Mark.
No, but I think a little poetic license is fair enough to make the point, and the attitude certainly did for her!
MPs that don’t have enough staffing allowance to pay their interns try to cover what costs they can. They can only claim money for interns costs from receipts that include travel costs and lunch.
It isn’t specified what an intern should have for lunch, or that they should only have healthy food! If an intern chooses to eat a pasty, a coke and some hoola hoops for lunch, surely it’s only right that the MP processes their receipts and claims this back for them in the same way as if they had ordered a salad?! I’m not sure I see what the issue is here, other than that it would be much better if the intern were paid more than lunch and a travel allowance…
At least this intern is getting their lunch paid for, many interns don’t event get that!