Dan Haycocks confronts Mr MacKay after the Bullbrook dinner
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Protesters demand Andrew MacKay 'pays up' expenses cash
By Hugh FortNovember 13, 2009
Protesters dogged Bracknell’s MP Andrew MacKay demanding he sign a giant cheque made out to “the taxpayer” for his wrongly claimed expenses.
The members of the Goodbye MacKay group turned up armed with the cheque as the MP left a dinner held for him by the Bullbrook branch of the Bracknell Conservative Association on Saturday.
The group is outraged at Mr MacKay’s role in the expenses scandal, where it emerged he was claiming a second home allowance on a property his wife Julie Kirkbride, the MP for Bromsgrove in Worcestershire, had nominated as her first home.
He is standing down at the next General Election, due before May, but the group say he should resign immediately, so he is not paid any more taxpayer’s money, cannot claim any more expenses and does not get a ‘golden handshake’ pay-off when he leaves.
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The group members turned up at the Whitegrove Community Centre in County Lane, Warfield, as Mr MacKay left the event.
In a video on Youtube, group leader Dan Haycocks repeatedly asks Mr MacKay to sign the cheque, which is made out for £170,000, the amount the group estimates he has claimed.
However, Mr MacKay refuses to say anything at all to the group members and makes it to his car without a word.
A report into the scandal was released by Sir Thomas Legg.
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getbracknell has been unable to discover from the MP whether he has been asked to pay anything back despite several attempts.
Mr Haycocks said: “The protest was a great success.
“His stubborn refusal to engage with us made it even more comical.
“It was like a military operation, we had to be careful he didn’t know we were coming or he may have left earlier.
“We had big cheques made up for £170,000, which he wouldn’t sign.
“His lips are still tightly sealed though, which we think is just wrong.
“He won’t even answer our questions.”
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Mr MacKay declined to comment.
Are the campaigners right to pursue Mr MacKay or are their tactics over the top? Leave your comments below or email editorial@bracknellstandard.co.uk
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