"Out of Touch Member of Parliament must resign" says Lucy Hurds, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate

4.01.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 8th Jul 2009

Lucy Hurds, North Herefordshire Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate

In a letter to Member of Parliament Bill Wiggin, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Lucy Hurds has called upon him to resign from Parliament.

"It is clear that Mr Wiggin has no understanding of the lives of the vast majority of his constituency" said Lucy Hurds. "To use that much over used phrase 'they don't seem to get it' seems more appropriate to Mr Wiggin than most Members of Parliament, finding himself in The Telegraph's top ten of notorious claims he still sees no need to apologise, What arrogance!"

More coverage on Mr Wiggin's attitude is available at http://markreckons.blogspot.com/2009/07/was-leominster-mp-bill-wiggins-meeting.html

Below is the letter from Lucy Hurds to Bill Wiggin MP

Dear Mr Wiggin

I am writing this as an open letter to you as Member of Parliament for the Leominster constituency.

I have watched over the last six weeks with astonishment at the revelations of the claims of MP's of all parties against the taxpayer for their expenses. I have to say that this has done much to destroy the credibility of the British democratic system, with some political parties having shown a greater propensity to excessive claiming than others. I have up to now, despite having been asked by the media to make comments about my political opponent (yourself), declined to make any comment as I felt it would have been inappropriate and seen as politically motivated.

I also felt it would have been inappropriate to attend your so-called public meeting. However, having read reports and letters in the press, and having spoken to some of the very few members of the public who were not Conservative party members or activists who attended this charade at the Conservative club, I have been appalled and angered by your response to your constituents' genuine concern, and the way in which you have reacted to their understandable anger at your claims against the taxpayer.

It seems from your statement as reported in the press, and given to me by members of the public, that being the representative of the North Herefordshire Constituency is an honour and a privilege for us rather than you. In particular, the statement that "other people can live like that, I can't" in response to a question about whether it was necessary to have a large and expensive house in London and a half million pound house in Herefordshire was an insult to all Herefordians.

As someone who has had to bring up a family and work with my own small business, I, like the vast majority of local residents, live in the real world and cannot understand why you do not appreciate that your attitude is unacceptable. Whilst you may have lived 150 miles from your constituency, you are a million miles away from your constituents.

It is quite clear that you do not appreciate that being the Member of Parliament for this constituency is an honour and a privilege, not something you have as a right. Herefordshire residents have to work hard in order to earn their living. Why do you not seem to grasp the simple fact that what you have done is unacceptable to your constituents? I think that the greatest service you can do Herefordshire and your

Party is to announce that you intend to resign. Do the honourable thing now and leave without the golden handshake.

Yours sincerely

Lucy Hurds

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate,

North Herefordshire

4 Whitehill House, Weobley. HR4 8QT