MPs owe the nation an apology
All MPs have been rightly humiliated with the leaking of expenses details by the Daily Telegraph. The information which has come to light has exposed a culture of deception and has led to the darkest of clouds casting a shadow over Westminster.

The length of time for which the complex, secretive and unpoliced allowances system has been allowed to run, and the manner in which the information was published - not by Parliament but by a national newspaper, means that it is no longer possible simply to say 'I was working within the rules' as an excuse for our behavior.

Collectively and individually, MPs owe the nation and our constituents an apology. Radical changes built around transparency and fairness must be made to the current system in order to begin the process of regaining the nation's trust.

Tobias' committment to openess and transparency
In March 2008, over a year before the elections expenses story broke, Tobias made a pledge offering to meet any constituent and go through all his expenses in detail. This was widely reported in the Echo which can be read here.

Tobias was also one of the very few MPs in Parliament to hold open meetings in his constituency to specifically explain his own expenses in detail to constituents.

Conservatives changes to the rules
Before the independent inquiry by Sir Thomas Legg had reached its conclusion David Cameron rightly took decisive action by creating an independent scrutiny panel which applied tougher retrospective standards to MPs pay and allowances. This panel reviewed all claims by Conservative Members, decided whether any money should be paid back and what disciplinary/legal action should be taken.

Critically, no Conservative Member will be permitted to ‘flip’ the designation of which property is his or her second home in order to sell properties for financial gain. Any change will have to be for genuine family reasons and must be approved in advance. Any Conservative Member selling a home for which mortgage interest is currently paid by the second home allowance must confirm that they will pay any Capital Gains Tax due on it.

David Cameron has also imposed an immediate ban on all Conservative Members claiming food, shopping, furniture and other household goods; only rent, mortgage interest, overnight hotel bills, utility bills, service charges and council tax can be claimed by Conservative Members from now on. Finally, in the spirit of transparency, going forward, all claims made to the Fees Office will be published immediately online.

Sir Christopher Kelly Report on future changes
New measures alone will not restore trust in our democracy which has been badly damaged, but they do demonstrate an appreciation of the seriousness of the situation and a strong desire to clean up the system. Sir Christopher Kelly has been tasked with re-writing the rule book completely. His recommendations are expected shortly.

Sir Thomas Legg's review of Tobias' expenses
Following the Legg review of expenses Tobias has been asked to pay £941 regarding over-payment by the Fees Office. No break down has been provided. Tobias has nevertheless paid this amount in full and asked for a breakdown.