ME and Ophelia

Source: Sunday Express, Sunday, 14 June 2009

GLENYS Kinnock was last night facing questions over her impartiality as Europe Minister after research suggested she and her husband Neil may have pocketed £10million from the EU.

WEALTHY: Lord and Lady Kinnock are said to have pocketed millions of pounds in perks

The research shows that Lady Kinnock earned £774,838 during her time as an MEP.

She was also entitled to a daily subsistence allowance worth £505,818 over that time, travel allowances worth almost £1.25million and general allowances worth £577,071.

In addition, she was entitled to secretarial allowances worth more than £2.3million, although these are to pay staff.

She also has a pension worth £67,836 a year, which would require a pot of £950,000 to buy in the private sector.

Lord Kinnock earned £1.85million in salary during his 10 years at the EU and qualified for a residence allowance for living in Brussels worth £276,962, an entertainment allowance worth £64,564, an installation allowance of £25,348 for taking the job, a resettlement allowance of £13,745 for leaving the job and a transition allowance, to help adjust to life outside Brussels, worth £355,143.

He also qualifies for a pension which pays out £83,089 a year and would cost £1.16million to buy in the private sector. The terms require him to remain supportive of the EU project.

In all, the Kinnocks qualified for pay, allowances and pensions worth £10.2million. The lack of receipts required for EU expenses makes it impossible to know if they claimed living allowances on the same home.

A spokeswoman for the Kinnocks last night insisted the payments to Lady Kinnock were the same as those received by other British MEPs and were irrelevant to her new role.

She said: “No payments could affect Glenys Kinnock’s judgment as a minister and she will properly fulfil all her duties as a UK minister.”

The spokeswoman added that Lady Kinnock forfeited a “golden goodbye” payment of £32,383 by accepting the job of Europe Minister and said that Lord Kinnock’s pay-off was lower than Open Europe suggest because he left early.

The Kinnocks have also been accused of hypocrisy over their willingness to accept peerages.

Lord Kinnock campaigned for years to have the House abolished, describing the Lords as “brigands, muggers, bribers and gangsters”.
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A reader's comment 14.06.09:  Kinnock was the one who was absolutely determined to get rid of the House of Lords once and for all, and swore he would NEVER be a part of it .... until he snatched their hands off when he was offered the chance. Typical self-serving Socialist. No **** standards at all.