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AN EXPENSIVE MISTAKE…

At a time when many Brits are losing their jobs and battling to pay bills, the amount MPs can claim on their expenses is just insulting.

And the nation’s bad feeling about it hasn’t been helped by the revelation that our hard-earned cash has paid for adult movies watched by the husband of Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

If it wasn’t for the fact that Britain was in a recession, this would be hilarious.

While claiming for the cost of her internet connection, Jacqui also claimed for two adult films, costing £5 each.

I would love to have been a fly-on-the-wall in the Smith household when the couple learnt this mistake was going to come out.

I should imagine being caught buying a blue movie is bad enough but for the entire country to learn they paid for it is even worse.

This embarrassing blunder couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Government though as they battle to save the country’s economy.

But maybe they should look closer to home first though as I’m sure they could save a few pounds simply by cutting back on the amounts MPs can claim.

As well as the usual things such as travel and stationery, they can also claim for a second home to allow them to spend time in their constituency and at Parliament meetings in London.

Fair enough for those MPs who don’t live within commuting distance to the capital but do we really need to pay for their widescreen TVs, washing machines and furniture?

I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure having a top-of-the-range TV in their lounge doesn’t impact on whether or not they can do their job.

Jacqui Smith, who earns an annual salary of £141,866, even submitted an expenses claim for an 88p bath plug.

And MPs wonder why people have no respect for them?

I’m sure people would think a lot more of them if they paid for their own bath plugs, especially given the financial mess the country is in at the moment.

Surely it’s only a matter of time before the whole expenses system is overhauled and MPs simply claim back the costs of things that really matter to their job.

Written by Gemma