Maria Miller

Not just the overclaiming either - the main issue seems to be that she refused to cooperate with the enquiry and deliberately withheld information and documentation.

She should be sacked, and DC should be ashamed of himself for brushing her actions aside as though they were minor transgressions.

I can't understand why she's still there, but perhaps DC is frightened to lose a woman after the abysmal ratio of men to women was levelled at him recently.

Yes I agree Ana but Cameron probably wont sack her because she is one of the few women in the Cabinet. She's an utter disgrace and we appear to be no further forward with the abuse of expenses. It's no wonder we are all so disillusioned with the political class.

She should be sacked, DH and I both incandescent with rage listening to her arrogant and grudging 'apology'. If a housing benefit claimant omitted to inform the benefit authorities of a change of circumstances they would be in court, charged, made to pay it back and probably given some kind of community service sentence. This whole episode has been disgraceful and reflects badly on Cameron that he thinks it acceptable. Deeply offensive that he thinks that we, the public will also accept her apology. Mind you, he probably thinks we are playing bingo or getting stupified on cheap beer. Is it me, or is it getting worse?

It's appalling that she is still there. And it's not only her behaviour, but her attitude afterwards that I find so unaccceptable. What arrogance!
She's not sorry at all, is she, only sorry that she was found out.
I don't understand D.C. You all must be right, it's because he can't afford to lose a female cabinet member.
It stinks, doesn't it.

yes henetha that's what I thought, she was sorry she was found out, she is a vile person, a liar and a cheat and shouldn't be excused/forgiven because she is possibly a token woman in the cabinet.

It seems if you want to get away with something you should be a woman and a minister! What an example! I'm fed up with MPs and their double standards

A disgrace.

It is possible to sack her and put another woman in her place. Then he would have the same number of women on the front bench. Not that he has that many to choose from on the back benches.

Totally agree goldengirl talk about one rule for them and another for the rest of us. Just imagine anyone else getting away with stealing taking £40,000 plus that did not belong to you and being asked to give just a tenth of it back and keep your job (telling everyone else how they should behave) . It makes me sick !

I am not sure how the system works, but couldnt her constituency officers bring her to task? Deselect her? It happened to Tim Yeo who spent too much time on his own business and not enough time looking after his constituents, he was angry about it, but was deselected. I expect this weekend we shall see that Ms Miller sacks the person recorded making the veiled threat about Press Standards. Someone with her morals will have no loyalty to her staff. I am not a huge fan of the popular press but I hope that they really go for her and force Cameron to do what he should have done a while ago.

It is theft, plain and simple. She should be charged. Others have ended up imprisoned.
Such fraudulent activity is all the worse because it is stealing from the public purse and contemptuous of the public. Does she really think that the voters are such mugs? x

I agree with each and everyone of you, it is an abuse of power. I thought that it was more than £40,000 that she took/borrowed/stole. The house in question is now "only" worth well over a million pounds. Nice if you can get it I think. DC should show that he has some backbone and sack her, better late than never. There are two laws in this country, one for them and one for us minions.

I think on balance Cameron should have the sense to know that most people would rather see her sacked, one less woman in the cabinet is of secondary importance. This story wont go away and if he is forced to act later it just makes him look weak and if he doesn't do anything then his judgement will be in question. Voters are sick to death of this flagrant dishonesty and it only reinforces the view that many of us hold of the political class, lofty, arrogant, out of touch and in some cases down right dishonest. No good banging on about benefit cheats, politicians are not in a position to make judgments about the honesty of their fellow human beings when they behave in this manner.

Perhaps if she is sacked, she could also be deselected as well, if I were one of her constituents I wouldn't want her as my MP.

Agreed BAnanas, it is no good bringing in all these new regulations and housing benefit changes, and banging on about benefit cheats when the very people who are setting the regulations are cheats themselves. I dont understand why the Scottish Labour MP ( sorry cant remember his name) got imprisoned a few months back for embezzling £5000 and then repaying it, while SHE embezzles around £90,000, is recommended to repay £40,000 and then gets her mates in the standards committee to agree to £5000. I am no fan of David Cameron, but I always thought he had some backbone, obviously not.

Grant Shapps (that fine, upstanding fellow) is on the news now saying that "it's time to let it go". It's great how these people back each other up isn't it.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/04/maria-millers-great-hypocrisy-representing-people

Having Grant Schapps to give you a character reference is like having Jeffrey Archer recommend your book.

Grant Shapps Bingo

He'll finish up getting rid of her - my OH always cynically says, when a PM says he is backing a naughty member, "Oh dear, then they will be out on their ear soon." PM can't possibly support her - it is nonsense, and he will lose votes.

This sense of entitlement to taxpayers' money and to protection from the law is sickening.

If a benefits claimant embezzled a minute proportion of this money they would be in the nick.

I don't think that's strictly true, Mishap, the benefits cheats who actually receive a prison sentence seem to be those who have falsely claimed tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Maria Miller should definitely go, though. Perhaps the PM will persuade her to resign, thus avoiding having to publicly sack her after saying she had his continued support.

One of the people on Sunday Politics this morning claimed that Ian Duncan Smith (IDS) was going to make a further statement regarding sanctions on 'benefits cheats' this morning on the Andrew Marr show, but it was thought politic not to do so. My money is on her going on Tuesday, but with very bad grace, thus leaving IDS free to announce his latest draconian punishments for being poor and/or disabled.

A benefits cheat would not be considered for high office or a responsible job - this woman is in the cabinet for goodness' sake! Get rid of her! I am sickened by this sort of behaviour. I spent a large part of my professional life trying to help people who were disabled to keep food on the table; and this wretched woman just gets away with this huge fraud. Why isn't she up before the beak?

Rant over.

Another example ( as if we needed one) of how out of touch DC is. He thinks people wont support him if he gets rid of a woman from the cabinet.
He doesn't understand that he will get MORE support if he sacks this pitiful excuse for a "public servant" The only thing they serve is themselves.