Paul Rowen and the anatomy of a Lib Dem expenses scam

Now the Lib Dems are riding high in the polls, they attract greater scrutiny – which, to put it mildly, they do not always stand up to. In this week’s Spectator, we look at what can be seen as the Lib Dem vice. They may not charge for duck houses, or mortgages. But they do specialise in taking money intended for MPs expenses, and finding “innovative” ways of putting it into their war chest. Here is a hard example that may interest CoffeeHousers and it stars Paul Rowen, whom Mr Clegg visited last week – and declared “has done a great job”. He certainly has: for filling the Lib Dem political machine with cash. These documents were not designed to break the rules – just push them as far as possible, but it’s hardly the behaviour of the “most honest,” as Clegg has styled himself.

The Lib Dem modus operandi is explained in a leaked document which we at the The Spectator have got our hands on, and which is reported