Couple of problems

Andrew Mackay - always seemed self-serving - has resigned as a Cameron aide. He was claiming a second home allowance on a London flat while his wife, Julie Kirkbride, had designated their family home as her second home and was claiming on that. So, two second homes, no main home, cost to the taxpayer £1,900 a month. These people have no place in the Conservative Party and should be put out by their constituency associations (Bracknall and Bromsgrove) forthwith. What they did may be "within the rules" but even an imbecile with the most basic grasp of right and wrong would feel uncomfortable about such an arrangement, surely? I was going to mention something of Kirkbride's past, but it would be unfair. Let's just say she ought to be careful lest people think she has an unfortunate reputation for picking wrong 'uns. 

The Wintertons and the Keens should provide some knockabout, but the real interest is in the Cooper-Ballses. Chatter this morning suggests that they may have obtained an injunction to prevent The Daily Beast from mentioning them in stories about MPs' expenses. Even this, if true, is enough to do them in, so if it is untrue they ought to deny it in the hope that there will be some reputation to save when details of their claims are made public. One suspects, however, that it is true and represents a last desperate throw. It doesn't matter though: people know what they're like. It is too late. Fast forward to their sullen, hate-filled faces on election night - if they make it that far. Ejecting these two is a necessary step on Labour's road to rehabilitation. 

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Elliot Morley. Off to the police station with you.