Legg latest

The Legg report is about 240 pages, if you can manage it.  But the message you can take from it is short enough: there’s going to be plenty more public anger with our political class.  Guido’s post here should tell you why.  But, suffice to say, there are MPs paying back up to £42,458.  There are dodgy claims for flagpole accoutrements, luxury furniture and expensive gardeners.  And even the report itself cost more than the money than it’s going to recoup.

Although I don’t think the parties should be trying to make political capital out of each other’s misdemeanours – beyond, of course, proposing ways to fix the mess – there’s little doubting that this is especially bad news for Gordon Brown.  Governing parties tend to bear the brunt of these things, of course.  But throw in the allegations about the PM’s slush fund yesterday, and his recent spin about reform may already be fatally undermined.