Not just the Kinnocks

Someone has recently calculated that the Kinnocks, man and wife, have gathered perhaps as much as £10 million from their service at EU headquarters, according to several sites this morning. It may or may not be a fair estimate.

What is clear without doubt is the estimates of costs to this country of representation at Brussels/Strasbourg, produced by the Open Europe organisation.

The European Parliament costs UK taxpayers £1.8 million for each MEP each year. The House of Commons costs us £208,000 per MP per year.

This is partly a reflection of different costs claimed, Brussels £363,000 per MEP and London £148,000 per MP. (The former do not have to produce receipts to claim their allowances, while London MPs have done, although it has not stopped the scandals. At least the scandals came to light!)

There are also massive payments on retirement at Brussels. Each retiring MEP will be paid up to 2 years salary (- nearly £170,000) to help them adjust to their new (reduced) circumstances. The 22 retiring this year will share in a £10 million index-linked pension pot, with an annual pension up to £235,000. They will also be granted up to £65,000 in transition costs, to cover the closing of their offices and laying off staff.

Did someone talk of a gravy train?