In an earlier post I wrote about Nadine Dorries alleging that the  “expenses system was designed to give MPs an underhand pay rise, when a real one would have caused public anger.”

John Prescott says that

“I recall Bob Mellish, our Chief Whip in the mid 70s, telling us at the PLP that the Government was not allowing the MPs wage award but the new alllowances would be more generous and they’d allow a ‘liberal interpretation.’

 This led to my first row with Bob about this policy, which I told him would end in tears”