Fury over lavish MP expense claims

PORN MOVIES. Horse manure. A chocolate Santa Claus. Expense claims by British lawmakers to pay for an array of items were exposed yesterday, stoking public anger over lawmaker excess amid the global recession.

Britain’s Daily Telegraph published details of claims related to 13 ministers and offered examples of hundreds of other bills submitted by lawmakers to parliamentary authorities.

The documents revealed how some lawmakers used lax regulations to accumulate hefty bills to pay for housing taxes and costs of furnishing homes, while others claimed for trivial amounts – including a packet of ginger snaps worth about €1, two cans of cat food and an ice cube tray.