Now lift lid on Euro expenses, says Davies

North West Euro MP Chris Davies has challenged the leader of his own party over political expenses in the European parliament.

Speaking on the day that a number of cabinet ministers faced acute embarrassment as their expenses were published in a national newspaper, Mr Davies told the Lib-Dem leader Nick Clegg that the expenses claimed by Euro MPs should be subject to the same scrutiny.

Mr Davies has been campaigning for years to open the books of the European parliament expenses system, which remains highly controversial, particularly a rule which allows MEPs to claim 284 Euros a day (£253) for attending meetings and parliament sessions.

Mr Davies, who challenged his leader while Mr Clegg was helping him launch the Euro election campaign in Burnley, said: “What I want my party leader to do now is make a commitment that all Liberal Democrat candidates standing for the European Parliament next month will declare what they get from all public sources, which is not the case at the moment for any MEP."

MEPs have been accused of abusing their expenses by registering for their daily allowance and then going straight home.

Some were even filmed by German TV crews arriving in the European Parliament expenses office at 7am to pick up their daily allowances — luggage in hand and all ready to head straight for the airport and home. Mr Davies last year tried to make public an unpublished report about abuses of the MEP expenses and allowances system, but the report remains unpublished.

Mr Davies himself said that he receives around 40,000 euros (£34,648) a year in daily allowances and that he makes all this information available to the public via his website, although there is no requirement for other MEPs to do the same.

Mr Davies said that he received that money because he was working on the climate change policy and that he attended every meeting he claimed for.

What MEPs claim:

£6,550: the monthly pay of UK MEPs (at current exchange rates)

£3,600: the additional amount given to UK MEPs to run constituency offices

£253: the daily allowance received by UK MEPS for attending official meetings.