TRUST in MPs has plummeted by half across Merseyside since the expenses scandal came to light.
A Liverpooldailypost.co.uk poll found that before the expenses revelations 50% of respondents trusted their MP.
Now the figure stands at just 28%, but 65.8% said that trust could be restored provided a number of measures were taken to clear up the system.
Almost two in three respondents said they had been angered by the affair while there was a 50/50 split of those that thought that there should be an immediate General Election and that MPs should be paid more.
Most Merseyside MPs have escaped heavy criticism of their claims, but Wirral South MP Ben Chapman has decided to stand down following allegations of £15,000 of phantom mortgage payments.
Two weeks ago it was revealed that, with the agreement of the Commons fees office, he deliberately over-claimed on a London home loan he had partially paid off. The MP’s monthly mortgage interest payments fell from around £1,900 to below £400, but he continued to receive the full amount in expenses for ten months – an overall pay-out of about £15,000.
Garston MP Maria Eagle also came under fire for spending £7,140 renovating her bathroom, with the revamp said to include a new suite, shower, slate floor tiles and removal of a wall.
