This specimen MP was on the telly this morning, explaining that the fiver was actually donated by one of his assistants, attending the service as his proxy, who then hand-wrote the chit reproduced by the Torygraph when claiming his expenditure back from his boss - the now embarrassed MP.
The MP himself then had the chit included amongst all the others which were forwarded to the Commons pay office amongst that period's expense claims...and it was rejected by them.
The MP expressed deep and apparently sincere regret, though I'm not convinced whether this was for forwarding the offertory chit, or at now being pilloried for it.
Writing as one who would cheerfully connect politicians of all hues to the mains having first removed the overload trips (d'you think that might open their eyes?), I am still burned by the notion that the p***k who donated the fiver in the first place did NOT just let it go as his own personal tribute...and moreso ditto the MP himself.
These people seem to thrive upon an inexhaustible reserve of self-importance to the extent that any idea of making a PERSONAL donation just does not occur to them. As my old Dad always used to point out - ruefully - you can't put in what God left out. Scum.
iwalkedaway