Expats in Dubai say British MPs wrong to take money

Dubai: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will be hoping for a quiet week at Westminster after experiencing the most tumultuous seven days of his premiership.

The ongoing saga of MPs' expenses was compounded last week with a crushing defeat for Labour in local and European elections; all set amid the worst economic crisis since the Second World War.

Gulf News spoke to several British expatriates in Dubai to gauge their opinions on the expenses scandal and to see whether they thought Brown should call an early general election.

Roz McLoughlin, a 26-year-old marketing executive from Edinburgh, Scotland, said: "Many MPs argued they were acting within the rules in terms of expenses but in reality they have been taking from the public purse to pay for ridiculous things; how could they think they would not be found out."

Fiona Rodger, a 52-year-old IT consultant from Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, said: "I don't think they should be able to get away with it [expenses] but all the parties are just as bad as each other. I think David Cameron is the best of a very bad bunch; he is quite charismatic but we don't know enough about his policies."

Ross Wood, a 26-year-old environmental adviser from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, said: "I feel a little bit sorry for Gordon Brown as he took over a sinking ship. However, he did serve as Chancellor of the Exchequer for 10 years so he has to take some of the blame.

"Immigration is a huge issue at the moment with many British people losing their jobs; the BNP have used that to their advantage. But it's not just Britain that faces this problem. For example, in Holland and France, far-right parties have gained more support over the last few years."