March 12, 2010

BNP fails to publish European expenses details

Porky Griffin - sleazy, racist and damned ugly, too
Nick Griffin, the British National Party leader and MEP, has not published details of his own expenses despite campaigning on an anti-sleaze platform during European elections

Nine months after accusing mainstream Westminster MPs and Brussels MEPs of having "their snouts in the trough", neither Mr Griffin, nor his BNP colleague Andrew Brons, have given any details of how they spend allowances worth a combined £530,000 every year. According to Mr Griffin's website: "All accounts and expenses will be published on this page for complete transparency as soon as they become available." The "accounts and expenses" website section for Mr Brons, a Yorkshire MEP, has remained blank since last July.

Other Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat MEPs have all given detailed breakdowns of how allowances are spent since the European elections last June. Most British MEPs give salary band details of employees and justify travel, subsistence and other expenses.

The most recent parliamentary "declarations of financial interest" for both MEPs date back to June 16 2009, just days after they were both elected. Neither declaration gives any details of annual expenses, worth over £280,000 for each man. Mr Griffin has used parliament assistant allowances, worth over £190,000, to employ three staff members, according to his website, but has given no details of their salary bands. Mr Brons employs four people but, also, gives no details of their wages.

One staffer, Martin Wingfield, is employed twice by both MEPs as a communications officer. Mr Wingfield's wife, Tina, also works for Mr Griffin.

European Parliament officials have told The Daily Telegraph that Mr Griffin and Mr Brons do not have any staffers accredited to work in the Brussels or Strasbourg seats of the EU assembly. The Daily Telegraph has also learnt that the Electoral Commission has opened an investigation into the BNP's accounts after the party's auditor refused to sign off accounts for 2008. The "case under review" concerns a suspected breach of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act, which requires all party treasurers to file full and accurate accounts each year.

"There are reasonable grounds to believe there has been a breach of reporting requirements," said a spokesman.

The BNP, Mr Griffin and Mr Brons yesterday declined to comment or answer questions about the use of their allowances. Chris Davies, a Liberal Democrat MEP for the North West, said: "The BNP's MEPs are shown to be less than open and transparent about their own financial affairs."

As well as staff allowances, both BNP MEPs, who earn a salary of £84,000 a year, receive a "general expenditure allowance" worth over £44,000 annually. While working in Brussels or Strasbourg, the two places where the parliament sits, MEPs pocket a £265 daily cash subsistence payment, worth over £40,000 tax-free every year.

Telegraph

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

"MEPs pocket a £265 daily cash subsistence payment"

That's more than I earn in a WEEK! Fucking outrageous.

Anonymous said...

Nick Griffins nose is definitely turning into a snout. Porky Griffin is right!

Andrew said...

"One staffer, Martin Wingfield, is employed twice by both MEPs as a communications officer."

I wonder if he's paid twice too. Money for old National Front pals, huh?

Anonymous said...

"BNP fails to publish European expenses details"

Are we surprised???

Anonymous said...

The accounts and expenses page on andrew brons website has now disapeared. How convinient.

Workingman said...

Hippocrites in the broad daylight, parasites!

Martin Porky Reynolds said...

Join the trough fellow porkers!

JJ said...

"The accounts and expenses page on andrew brons website has now disapeared. How convinient."

Well spotted. A bad move by the BNP there. If they were pretending to be open and honest they'd have left it there and said it was soon to be updated. Removing it completely seems to smack of guilt. What's the betting that it reappears in a couple of days with an "Update pending" notice of some kind on it.

Someone who needs an optician said...

You should have a sexiest man in the world poll. With that face, only Gargoyle Griffin could win!!!

Anonymous said...

No surprise there then

Anonymous said...

That face could give you a few nightmares!

NewsHound said...

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/5057407.Oldest_pub_will_shut_its_doors_if_EDL_rally_goes_ahead/

BOLTON PUBS CLOSING TO AVOID NEONAZI RIOT.

(BET WETHERSPOONS STAYS OPEN!!!)

NewsHound said...

"WHITES SIGN THE PLEDGE"

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/5057408.Whites_sign_up_to_the_Pledge/

Landale said...

Hi All,

See http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/mar/12/bnp-racist-membership-rules-outlawed

The Judge has said no:-)

We'll see what excuses Gri££fo the Plump comes up with now :-(

Darby is such a weed that he didn't turn up to a hustings - alleging moslem demonstrators and no security.... Bet he didn't even leave Trywern!

Anonymous said...

not sure if theres any truth in this ,but I read somewhere that Griffin has 100% attendance and expenses,why? MEPs have no power so why is he always there ? a cynic would say for the expenses!!
450.000 quid per year potential earnings,,,for five years.
Thanyou that will do nicely

Anonymous said...

That cunt Darby draws ""FOUR WAGES"" from the BNP he has the biggest Snout in the Trough the greedy get is bleeding the BNP dry!

Anonymous said...

Hmm all there pro sites are very quiet. They will all be toiling away now trying to put so much spin on it that it would make alistair Campbell jealous.
" we have won them and showed what traitorous reds were up against this has gone exactly as we wished it to blah blah blah"Said Griffin,Darby,Butler,Jefferson etc

Anonymous said...

"Darby is such a weed that he didn't turn up to a hustings - alleging moslem demonstrators and no security.... Bet he didn't even leave Trywern!"

Please do not alledge that Darby can breath underwater.

Old Sailor

For the English amongst us Trywern is now a resevoir for Liverpool

Anonymous said...

"MEPs pocket a £265 daily cash subsistence payment"

That's more than I earn in a WEEK!"

Me too - but it applies to all MEPs not just BNP ones of course and is one reason why some very unsuitable people stand and get elected. with that sort of financial incentive its not really going to be any other way.

Anonymous said...

Nice pic of the evil chubster! I have visions of the bloated toad catching a fly buzzing past his sewer spilling gob. Apologies to amphibious bloated toads for the comparison....naturally.

Antifascist said...

'the evil chubster'

I like that. :-D

Anonymous said...

off subject. The EDL have announced a demo at harrow on July 3rd. They obviously didnt learn their lesson the last time. The nazi bastards