PROTEST VOTES ARE AN OWN GOAL, WYRE FOREST POLITICIAN TELLS SKY NEWS

7.30.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 18th May 2009

Wyre Forest politician, Neville Farmer appeared on Sky News on Saturday evening to discuss the on-going MP's expenses scandal. The Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesman was invited to Bromsgrove to give his views following the Daily Telegraph expose of Bromsgrove Conservative MP, Julie Kirkbride and her husband, Andrew Mackay MP, who has been forced to resign as one of David Cameron's aides. Ms Kirkbride and Mr Mackay were exposed for claiming for two second homes allowances, though they argue that they were advised that they were operating within the rules.

"Unfortunately, some politicians seem to have forgotten that hiding behind the rules is no substitute for moral judgment," Neville Farmer said on the 5 o'clock news. "But people shouldn't think that tearing up their ballot papers or voting for an extremist party out of protest is the right response. The MPs who are found to have cheated should be punished under the law like anyone else but if people deliberately ruin the County and Euro elections next month it will only hurt the British people. If you vote for a candidate you don't want or don't vote to give Parliament a bloody nose, we'll end up with County Councillors and MEPs who will ruin our lives for the next four years," he said.