I think that the end of the last bit of the moral authority of the House of Commons just disappeared out the door.

The next time a minister claims that benefit thieves are doing wrong, they’ll have too look next to them and note that their neighbour at the table has diddled the taxpayer out of many thousands for something that didn’t exist.

The next time they complain about a pension pot, they’ll have to answer questions about their own somewhat cushy number.

And the next time anyone of them dares to open their mouths about golden goodbyes and rewarding failure, I do hope that they can keep a straight face over their own little setup.

MPs who stand down after expenses revelations should not be entitled to large tax free pay-offs, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has said.

Since stories about expenses claims began, 13 MPs have said they will stand down at the election, although three say they are going for health reasons.

They will be entitled to a pay-off worth up to a year’s salary of £64,000 depending on their age and experience.

And it’s there specifically to reward failure. How is that not considerably worse than the standard golden goodbye?