Chaytor conviction – what the papers say

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

The Times – Downfall of a dedicated man ruined by greed (£)

“Before the expenses scandal Chaytor was virtually unknown outside the Bury North constituency that he had represented since Labour’s landslide election victory in 1997. But the former college lecturer had dedicated decades of his life to public service, the court was told. As an MP his main interests were education and the environment and, despite his low profile, some former colleagues wrote to the judge saying that he could have become a government minister if he had not voted against the Iraq war. But he had a fatal character flaw – greed. “

The Mirror – Commons Criminal

“Law-BREAKING law-maker David Chaytor is the author of his downfall, an MP brought down by greed. There’ll be little public sympathy for the Dishonourable former Member for Bury North, who was jailed for 18 months after he admitted fraudulently claiming more than £20,000 in expenses. Submitting false invoices and claims for rent he never paid on homes owned by his relatives were calculated deceptions, not the accounting errors of a busy MP.”

The Sun – MP to HMP

“After the Commons rip-off was exposed, promises were made that a tough new watchdog would stop crooks like Chaytor. But the new expenses authority is being bullied by MPs into going soft. The Sun fears that before we know where we are, Westminster will be back in the trough again.”