Howard - 'I was Treated Unfairly Over Expenses'

Having handed in his passes and cleared his parliamentary office, and shortly before officially introducing candidate Damian Collins at The Grand hotel on Wednesday evening,  Mr Howard kindly spent several minutes chatting to FUTS before answering some brief questions over various aspects of his 27 years in power.

Mr Howard gave several examples of local achievements he is proud of. ‘There are so many battles I’ve fought and won. The battle to keep the magistrates court here, to keep the minor injuries unit open at the Royal Victoria Hospital open. I can’t pretend I won them all, but I won quite a few.’

Mr Howard rejected criticism over not giving enough time to Shepway as a result of being a top minister and having other directorships.

‘I don’t think you will hear that from ANYONE locally except my opponents. I think when they have made [these criticisms] they have been told in no uncertain terms by residents that it is simply not true.’

Talking about the 2005 attempt by the Liberal Democrat attempt to oust him, Mr Howard put his survival in that election and over the years to always working hard - ‘people recognise that'.

Mr Howard denied that his reputation may have fallen as a result of the expenses scandal. Mr Howard suffered embarrassing revelations in national newspapers that he claimed £17,000 on gardening and house maintenance. It was later revealed that Mr Howard had lost an appeal to Sir Charles Kennedy against a request to pay back £7,000, although at the time Mr Howard did not comment on the proceedings.

‘I don’t feel [my reputation] has fallen. I don’t know of any other walk in life where someone has put in a claim for expenses had it authorised entirely in accordance with the rules, and then been told we are changing the rules, retrospectively, and you have to pay some money back.

‘If it happened in any other walk of life there would be a complete outcry.’

Asked if he felt he was treated unfairly, Mr Howard said 'I do. When I appealed the person in charge of the appeals procedure said ‘I’ve got a great deal of sympathy with you and if my terms of reference allowed me to I would grant your appeal. It’s in the report.’'

Mr Howard was never accused of breaking any rules, though the rules themselves were criticised as suffering from a ‘culture of deference’ in the fees office awarding expenses to MPs.

Leaving the past behind, asked if he felt he was leaving the Shepway Conservative party in good hands, Mr Howard said; ‘I certainly do. Damian will do a great job.’