I support the right of any citizen in an election to vote for any candidate or political party, whatever its complexion. But I am astonished that Joan Ryan has been elected to represent Enfield North – or indeed that she was even allowed to be nominated or had the nerve to stand – given her record when previously serving as the constituency MP.
Here are the facts: In 2007, she claimed £173,691 in expenses, the highest for any MP (she was the second highest claimant in the previous year); and in May 2009 she claimed more than £4,500 for work on a house she had designated as her second home. In February 2010, she was asked to repay £5,121 mortgage interest.
In 2012, it was reported that at least ten attempts had been made from computers in Parliament to remove information about Ryan’s expense claims and a further 20 efforts to delete the information, some from her constituency of Enfield, had also been recorded in Wikipedia’s logs, and the current Wikipedia page’s edit history indicates that similar edits to hide Ryan’s record continue to be made.
When we vote for an MP – or a local councillor – we give them our trust. How can we trust Joan Ryan, knowing the history of her betrayal? Have Enfield North electors forgotten this shameful incident?
Garry Humphreys
Park Avenue, Palmers Green
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