On the doorsteps, the airwaves, indeed the mass media, the anger is palpable. Ordinary people are baffled by the extraordinary claims MPs are able to make on the public purse. No matter how many times we are told that these have been made within legal parameters, we reach for the sick bag and consider the moral parameters.

All over Britain people are suffering; struggling to keep a roof over their heads and spending sleppless nights wondering if they’ll be on the next round of redundancies. I should know, my husband Stuart has been under threat of redundancy twice since November. We were one of the lucky ones - he kept his job.

The time has come for complete transparency over MPs expenses. They need not only to be above board but realistic. I’ve worked in business since 1982 and I have always been required to provide receipts for everything. As for second homes, several MPs are multi-millionaires who own several properties, some of which they rent out, why do they need a second home? Let’s get real.

By the same token we are also funding some people’s lifestyles who’ve decided to live on benefits. It is objectionable that taxpayers fund lifestyles for those who don’t wish to work, when they are capable. This country needs an overhaul. It’s time for change.