My Commitment to You on Expenses

Ever since the details of MP’s expenses were first published, people have been furious about the excessive, unacceptable and possibly illegal claims made by some of the people representing us in the House of Commons. As your local Conservative candidate, I want to make it clear to you that I will not play the system or bend the rules. Instead, I will abide by the standards that politicians expect others to live by.

When I was first selected for this constituency, I made it clear that if I was fortunate enough to be elected as the Member of Parliament for this area, I would not be claiming an additional central London home from the tax-payer. I am now making clear other specific commitments I will make to ensure that we rebuild trust back into the political process. I am giving local residents a clear choice between Ann Keen and I. One of the key differences will be on our approach to expenses.

If I am elected as Member of Parliament at the next General Election, I promise to:

1. Not claim the allowance for an additional home in the centre of London.
2. Publish on my website details of all my office expenses incurred as the Member of Parliament.
3. Publish on my website details of all donations above £1,000, in line with Electoral Commission rules.
4. Open up my unedited expenses claims to local newspapers at the end of every financial year.
5. Never claim for day-to-day living expenses such as food, furniture or household goods.
6. Hold regular surgeries so that local residents can ask directly about issues important to them.

Hounslow Crime Survey

There’s no doubt in my mind that one of the key roles of government is to keep us safe from crime and criminals. If we aren’t safe in our homes and on our streets, then we will never create a just and successful society.

Sadly though, no society has ever been crime-free. I guess, sadly, it never will.

But government can change the policy framework and working environment for the experts – the police, the criminal justice system, social workers and others working at the coal face – so they can get on with their jobs of preventing crime and punishing criminals.

We need a police force freed from pointless paperwork. We need more than just one in five knife criminals jailed: http://tinyurl.com/ko7ln3. Twelve years on, and Labour has failed us.

Earlier this year, I commissioned a survey about crime in the borough. The survey was sent to about 70,000 people across Chiswick, Brentford, Syon, Osterley and Hounslow. I reckon it must be one of the largest surveys on the subject done in the area.

The results will be available on my website very soon. But in the meantime, if you want to know more about what a Conservative administration would do on crime see the links below.

Conservatives on crime
http://www.conservatives.com/Policy/Where_we_stand/Crime_and_Justice.aspx

Should we be compassionate?

This week, the Lockerbie bomber has dropped his second appeal against conviction. We are now waiting to hear if the Scottish Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill, will grant Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, who has terminal cancer, early release on compassionate grounds or transfer him to a Libyan jail.

I believe Megrahi should serve out his sentence in Scotland. Justice means that he needs to do the life sentence for what he did. 270 lives were lost in the 1988 bombing.

This is about being compassionate for the victims and their families and not for the the person who did the crime.

Skyride for Cyclists - a great day!

Even although I was feeling under the weather with a cold and cough, I managed to get out this weekend to participate in the Hounslow Skyride. There was an excellent atmosphere around Syon Park and Osterley Park where individuals, friends and families were all participating in a day of cycling around the Borough.

This was a great initiative from Boris Johnson and one that hopefully will encourage many people to cycle more. Great for health and great for the environment!