More Fowl Expenses.

Sir Peter Vigger's "Duck Island" is probably the most surreal expenses claim yet. I actually think he could have brazened it out because the public has always appreciated an animal lover, as the enduring popularity of Catherine the Great demonstrates,

However he joins Douglas Hogg & Ben Chapman in announcing that he will stand down at the next election. When you consider the people who haven't announced their retirements but look doomed, Elliott Morley, Margaret Moran, David Chaytor etc, it looks to me that this might be the widest political scandal ever.

There have been more serious scandals but they've always involved a handful of miscreants whereas at this rate we could well see 10% of the current crop of MPs forced to stand down or discreditied to such an extent that 'anti-sleaze tickets can topple them with ease.

The full purge won't really get under way until after the Euro election when the broadcast media can take the gloves off and start raking over MPs' expenses.