EU bigwigs are '˜raking it in'

Some of the junketing at EU taxpayers’ expense has come to light. But it is suspected that, like the proverbial iceberg, there is far more of it below the surface than can be seen above it. The latest issue is the case of the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker spending £24,000 on a private jet for a one-night trip to Rome.

And this is but a tiny fraction of the scandal. Figures show that claims for the first two months of last year amounted to nearly £450,000 for 261 official trips, working out at £8,000 per month for each of the 28 unelected commissioners.

Campaigners who want to unearth the whole sordid story have been told by the Commission that they cannot disclose other expenses because of the “excessive administration burden”, claiming it is already “one of the most controlled organisations in the world”.

The auditors have refused to sign off the EU’s finances for more than a decade now – and no one seems to bat an eyelid. This is an outrageous state of affairs.


- You would have been justified in thinking that after their relative success in the Brexit referendum last year, Ukip would have become a thriving party on the UK’s political landscape. But no.

Things have gone from bad to worse. Since that referendum, I have lost count of the number of failed leaders they have had. And the party is riddled with personal animosities, friction and political blood-letting.

The latest chaotic event is the resignation of Mike Hookem, as the party’s deputy whip in the European Parliament. This is, he says, because Anne Marie Waters, who has called Islam “evil”, has been allowed to stand in Ukip’s leadership election.

Hookem said he was not prepared to “turn a blind eye” to extremism and that Waters should not be in the party, never mind bidding for the leadership.

This ludicrous outfit has provided us with a textbook masterclass in how not to run a political party.