WHAT IS IT about Barking and Dagenham that the Labour Party doesn’t like?
Barking has to suffer with Margaret ‘Loads of Money’ Hodge. And Dagenham is stuck with Jon ‘Two Homes’ Cruddas!
Cruddas may not be in the same league as Hodge, but he’s trying his best!
For instance, he’s another MP who’s been caught up in the Expenses scandal.
Cruddas is supposed to be a socialist MP. He likes to think of himself as “Real Labour”. That means he’s supposed to be representing the ordinary working class voters.
Yet he’s got TWO homes.
One is in Dagenham. He bought it in 2002 for £105,000. It’s probably worth around £180,000 by now.
Dagenham is only about 13 miles from Westminster. And as thousands of commuters will know, the centre of London is not exactly in outer space. It’s not that hard to get to.
His other home is an upmarket flat in a Notting Hill mansion-block.
In fact, he lives just around the corner from Tory leader, David Cameron.
Cruddas bought his Notting Hill flat in 2004. It cost him £375,000. Flats in the area are currently worth up to £900,000.
Trendy Notting Hill is just four miles from the Commons.
Now, what property do you think that Cruddas has been claiming his second-home expenses on?
Yes, you’ve guessed it – the flat in Notting Hill!
