Disgraced Derek Conway given gentle ticking off over thieving taxpayer cash

Good head in the trough action from disgraced MP Derek Conway who is being asked to pay back a piffling £3,757 of the £82,000 of taxpayers' cash that he paid to his sons Henry and Frederick for little or no work.

A year ago, the Committee on Standards and Privileges hammered Conway by suspending him from the Commons for a whole ten days for his indiscretions (the brutes).

The Standards and Privileges Committee has now concluded that Henry's starting salary was not ‘unreasonably high’ - despite being £800 above the recommended level - and despite the fact he wasn’t actually doing any work.

The Parliamentary watchdog said: ‘We expect him to apologise to the House for his breach of the rules by writing to our chairman.’

OK - so this gent trousers £82,000 of the taxpayer’s hard-earned and he has to write a letter of apology. If, on the other hand, a regular citizen fails to pay a parking fine within 10 seconds flat, they end up being hauled off to the debtors’ prison in double quick time.

Any wonder that MPs are so keen on the Freedom of Information Act applying to everyone but them? And her Majesty, of course.