IN the continuing furore over MPs’ expense claims, two important facts seem to have been overlooked.

A national newpaper offered advice on how to best complete expenses claims and avoid tax.

That advice was given by the Daily Telegraph in 2007. How’s that for rank hypocrisy in view of their current campaign against people who took their advice?

We must wonder how many people, other than MPs’ took – and are still taking – their advice.

In addition, it was Margaret Thacher as Prime Minister in 1987 who introduced the present claims system, as an alternative to giving MPs a salary increase which she thought might be unpopular.

As you said in your leader (May 22), it became an “unfair and corrupt system”.

David Buckle, Stonhouse Crescent, Radley