I have long thought doctors, nurses and MPs should get the salaries of footballers, pop stars and celebrities and vice versa.

The latter groups seem to spend their excessive money on drink and/or drugs, setting a horrific example to the young.

MPs were first paid in 1911. Before then we expected them to be wealthy enough to run the country as a voluntary vocation.

We need decent, honest, intelligent doctors, nurses and MPs, so we should pay them accordingly.

M Bauer
Seaforth Road
Westcliff

...I have been horrified and disappointed by the revelations about MPs’ expenses.

MPs already earn more than three times the national average. Why should they be able to claim for duck houses in country estates or for mortgages which have already been paid off ? Why should they use taxpayers’ money to fund a mortgage and pocket the profit when they sell up?

I have heard far too many politicians try and tell us their claims were “within the rules” or “approved by the fees office”. That is nowhere near good enough.

I don’t think any normal employer in the private or public sector would see it as such. Why should MPs be any different?

Allowing voters to force a by-election when their MP is guilty of serious wrongdoing would help rebuild trust.

Mrs Iris Lenny
Dawlish Drive
Leigh