Nice picture Times - he does look well fed! Perhaps he has grouse and Claret for breakfast, like another well-known Tory MP?

Chuck, London, UK

Cameron,s "change of heart" is purely based on the temperature of current media scrutiny on his man,damage limitation is always the prime agenda, will the ratings slip a point if i'm not seen to be strong enough. This method of governing needs to be routed, keep the traditions of arguing over the ballot box for the tourists if you must, we require clinical hard nosed business people to run the country, and if caught of creative accounting be treated just like us!!

paul, christchurch, uk

S. 15 Theft Act 1968 sums this up nicely!

mike cassidy, oxford, england

And we are being asked to trust MPs to vote on the EU Constitution.

Barak, London, UK

I wonder if the politicians are reading these comments. This is a focus group in action - listen to it and wonder no more why the public are losing faith in politics

Chris Jay, Whitchurch,

A sad indictment of British politics. God help us!

paul, christchurch, uk

When he had been found out he had the affrontary to say he'd let his family down very badly. I think he did them proud and it's us the taxpayer, who employs him and provided the money he lavished on his poor let down family, who he's let down. He should be sacked and face criminal charges.

George, Cambridge,

This is no big deal. My GP employs his wife as practice mananger and his daughters as receptionists and has some 'understanding' with the pharmacist up the road whom he always recommends. This is NHS gravy train. He cannot be faulted because he has his union-BMA at his side who hold all the aces having won the deal which made our GP's practice work less hours for more pay for him , his wife and his daughters. Ofcourse, we are raised to worship our health service!!

Gary Smith, LONDON,

This man should be relieved of all the money he has stolen from us, the tax payers. It's an absolute disgrace that he is still an M.P. Also his sons should be charged for theft, they are not innocent in this case. I hope the tax man starts investigating this man. This proves that an independent company must monitor all M.P.'s allowances and pay. He is a common thief and fraudster and should be locked up

Gil, Bristol, England

Just sack this low life,honourable gentlemen,it just makes me sick.
Most MPs have their snouts so deep in the trough they can't smell the stench.
DEREK

derek, whitstable, kent

Jennifer in Plymouth

Thats because there arn't that many Lib Dem MP's !!!

Ian Kirk, Chesterfield, UK

Make all MPs publish all their accounts, expenses, free holidays etc. It is like having the whole government of Geoffrey Archers.

m wilson, bidache, france

I live in Newcastle..

Have little, or nothing to do with Westminster..

Perfect candidate to replace Mr Conway's "little helper"!

Alan Henderson, Whitley Bay, England

If no research was done the rogue clearly didn't need the money for research expenses in the first place - all MPs claim the maximum they think they can get away with.

Toby, London,

John Reid employed his son Kevin as a part-time researcher. When the claim was made that his son was also a paid employee of the Labour Party an official complaint was lodged. What was the result? Elizabeth Filkin, Westminster Parliamentary Commissoner for Standards, lost her job.
The MPs do not want their finances open to scrutiny by the taxpayer. Currently we are discovering why that is.

Chris D, Edinburgh, Scotland

Who guards the guards?

This guy has committed nothing less than embezzlement. He should be looking at a prison stretch ~and~ having to repay the money he stole.

It is clear from the way that fellow MPs rallied round to support and defend him that many of our MPs get up to this sort of thievery, and have no intention of stopping yet.

Rich, Birmingham, UK

I'd like to know whether Conway used proper assessment procedures when he appointed his wife to her £40k per year (my NHS secretary would like some of that) and his sons to their non jobs. I'll bet they didn't have to go through the ridiculous procedures we have in the NHS nowadays - one law for one but not for others.

Dr Ian Burgess, Bristol,

Two things are obvious:
1. There should be an immediate and thorough police investigation into EVERY MP who employs a member of their own family.
2. It's not going to happen.

Dave Morgan, Portree, United Kingdom

Government organise importation of drugs support police state. MP's take money say nothing. We have been had. Democracy robbed by the state. Our so called representatives know what is happening say nothing or lose gravy train. Where are the men of honour. Evil reigns when good men stand by.

Mark Steele, newcastle upon tyne, sad

Must be serious now - if even the bare-faced Cameron is prepared to admit the game is up. My bet is there will be a lot more MPs feeling a bit sick tonight, wondering when the knock will come on their door. This petty thief won't be the only one, or the worst.

eric campbell, harrogate, uk

Somebody above mentioned that you don't see many Lib Dem's in sleaze enquiries, my understanding is that one of their main backers is currently imprisoned, and for sums involving several million pounds.

People in glass houses etc.

David, Hull,

There was a time many years ago, I was proud to be British. I have worked in 3rd World countries for a Bitish Company for most of my working life, and, niaively I see now, belieived that British Government was a leading light to all those full of corruption, theft and nepotism. I now see I was totally wrong. At least many of the rulers of Banana republics are open about their theft and corruption.

This man needs locking up, and the keys throwing away as warning to all the rest of the corrupt in our government, and I truly think that's most of them these days.

Simon , Holmes Chapel, Cheshire

Surely theft is a police matter and this should be left to them

James, London,

Isn't the bigger issue the fact that MPs can employ their families as their staff, regardless of whether family members are suitably qualified, segregation of duties, etc? Public companies come under intense scrutiny when senior execs employ or work with their families.

CFG, WGC,

This is a disgrace. Our country is a sham and so are most of the people with power. Most are corrupt to some degree.

This is why our taxes are so high. We pay stupid amounts of tax for people like him to pay his sons who still have silver spoons in their mouths.

He should go to jail for 6 months.

Simon McDonnell, Herts, UK

Surely if the Peter Hain case has been referred to the police, this one has to be.
Hain's case involved a technicality which outside parliament would not have been a criminal offence.This is, allegedly, a case which would be dealt with by the police in any other walk of life .
A double standard operating here?
(And no, Mark Bullen you can have Cameron in New South Wales if you want : we don't need this slick, shallow unprincipled PR man in the UK, thanks)

John, Sheffield, UK

The fact that a MP still has the whip and is not being questioned by the police after such revelations only confirms that they consider themselves above the law.

Euan Fyfe, Woking,

Why hasn't David Cameron been seen or heard this week. After all of the pompous speeches he has made recently about standards in public life and dithering leaders he seems to have gone from being Oliver Cromwell to Basil Fawlty in the space of one week. Roll on PMQ's!

bill edmunds , Basingstoke, UK

Could somebody please explain to me the difference between theft and 'diversion of public funds?'

Presumably if I merely 'divert' some funds from a bank, another member of the public, a company, or just about anywhere at all come to that, I'll be able to get away with nothing more than a mild telling off.

Mike, Corsham,

He HAS to pay the entire amount back. Why should other students struggle on a minimal loan and their parents' hard-earned cash, while an MP can steal the taxpayers money and then only have to pay a tiny proportion back? This guy should be locked up - it makes my blood boil that he will probably get away with this and keep most of the stolen money, while badly off 'benefit fraudsters' who con the government out of less than a tenth of that amount end up with criminal records. Neither is right, but how come it's always the rich politician that gets away with it?

Emily, Cambridge,

The £55 Million robbers should only get 10 days suspended sentence.

adam, london, uk

Is that suspension without pay or holiday with pay

Dave, Paris, France

He has paid his son for doing no work and the punishment for this level of emezzlement is 10 days off work? He and his son should be interviewed by the police. The committee who investigated this should as well. 50K of real money may not seem much to fat cat MP's or commitee's that investigate them, but that makes it all the more disgusting to the rest of us.

Steve, Sheffield,

If I stole forty grand from work, I dont think I'd be allowed back after ten days.

Tom, Newcastle, England

How can people STILL be shocked that there is corruption in politics??? Surely that the reason you want to be an MP in the 1st place - a nice directorship, index linked pension etc also I'd imagine in most countries they will probably be questioning why he took such a small amount. As long as there are governments there will be corruption - power corrupts and human nature isn't going to change over such a short time. Furthermore, the alternatives to not having a government are utterly ridiculous so until we have a better idea I am happy to go along with the odd juicy scandle every now and again. Makes my breakfast more interesting.

Timothy Murray ESQ, London,

CONway knew what he was doing-despite his apology which seems to indicate he was unaware of the rules.
When he was MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham he was totally useless.He apparently flouted local planning rules when he built holiday homes and a tennis court at his constituency home in Shropshire.He obviously has a record of flouting any rules and should be deselected by his local part and never serve as an MP again.
He is chief executive of the Cats Protection,no doubt that brings in a good wage as well.

john, shrewsbury, uk

Whilst in no way condoning Derek Conway's actions or his stupidity in not immediately admitting the previous alleged offence I just wonder where John Mann, not noted being too Holmewellian, got his information from. More backstreet sleaze?
This has truly become the stinking parliament.

A.Williams, Cradley Heath,

Sleaze? This sounds more like Criminal Deception to me. Why hasn't this individual been arrested and questioned? That is what would happen to the rest of us if we were caught stealing. talk about "snouts in the trough".

Neil, Gloucestershire, England

I cannot believe the MP's sitting up in London honestly think that a 10 day suspension is sufficient punishment. This is fraud, pure and simple. If this man was employed by any other company he would be summarily sacked, facing a criminal investigation, looking at a custodial sentence and wondering how he was going to pay all the money back! How far removed are they from the public they are supposed to represent? And they wonder why we don't trust them or want to vote for them?

RP, Bucks,

Despicable on many counts but I have my own axe to grind.
In such a competitive industry as parliamentary research it annoys me to think that whilst I, a Graduate -like many others- have been struggling to make way in the industry and interning without pay, Freddie was not only gaining such work experience which is usually the preserve of Graduates but was getting paid to do so.

Naa, Berkshire, UK

These people live in a fantasy world which sets its own abysmally low standards. Our political system is hugely corrupt and needs a complete overhaul by people from outside politics. Fiddling of expenses, awarding themselves fat pension or pay rises, political party contributions, wherever you look there's a serious problem. Most, if not all these misdemeanours, would mean instant dismissal and possible prosecution if they worked for a company in the real world.

Huw , Killarney , Ireland

No MP should be allowed to employ any family member and all public money claimed by MP's should be acounted for annually via the publiction of accounts which fully show's who is recieving public money and the function they are being paid for. Any MP found to be using public money in a fraudulent manner should be dissmissed from parliment and charged with fraud.

Time for MP's to understand that whilst they may make the law's they are not above them.

Dave, Mold, Flintshire

£45k "salary" paid for little or nothing, and only £13k to be repaid? Nice work if you can get it. Disgraceful, greedy conduct. Meanwhile my three daughters are struggling to repay loans and credit incurred whilst at University, like numerous others.

John, Bangor, UK

What on earth is Cameron thinking of? Conway has to go and go now.I trust his constituency will insist on it.
Not since the days of rotten boroughs have MPs been held in such low esteemThat is what happens whe you get professional careerist politicians.If MPs were limited to a maximum of 15yrs and 20 if they made the cabinet,plus compulsory retirement at 65,perhaps we would get a higher calibre dedicated to public service rather than their own careers and finances,at any cost.

R G James, Brasschaat, Belgium

No doubt he will 'retain the support of his loyal constituents' in Bexley - as did Riddick and Tredinnick from the good citizens (or rather good Tories) of Colne Valley and Hinckley when they were found out.

eric campbell, harrogate, uk

He has defrauded the public purse. He should be sacked and charged with fraud.

Chantel, UK,

10 days suspension means nothing to Mr Conway. Mr Conway is very sorry, not of what he did, but because he was found out. Mr Cameron will not discipline him. They all do it when they get the chance. I don't think many people trust the politicians.
If I do what Mr Conway did, I most certainly end up in prison. Why is there a differential treatment between the MPs and the rest of us?

SHAME ON THEM.

CHRIS MILES, manchester, uk

First we had campaign funding irregularities; now this... What next?

This Parliament smells worse than the Parliament in my native Ghana. Where is the moral authority on which anti-corruption and all the other "democratic" rhetoric is based on?

Osei K., London, UK

In any other business this man would be instantly sacked. And the police would investigate fraud, why not here. Oh, as for David Cameron sheilding him, makes him looks sleazy as well. Roll on the election.

John, Essex, UK

Is lying so common place amongst politicians, that an apology is seen as enough of a punishment. Tax payers hard earned money seems to be spent by politicians as if it were monopoly money. This is the same as mugging and should be punished accordingly.

Mr CONway - how apt.

Henry, Asolo, Italy

OMG. Are all of these gits the same, no matter which party they represent?

Or do they all simply represent themseles and their familise and just want to get their snouts in the tough.

Dave, get your house in order, our country needs you. Do the Tories not realise how happy Brown is now?

Mark Bullen, Kiama Downs, NSW Australia

At last a familiar headline "Disgraced Tory MP..." :-)

Mike, Lancaster, UK

The silence from David Cameron is deafening!

He should sack this MP for gross misconduct. This is a form of corruption and needs to be tackled.

Jim McTernan, Hamilton, Scotland

You don't see to many LibDem MPs in sleaze enquiries, do you?

Jennifer Hynes, Plymouth, England

It's hard for a busy man to remember how many sons he actually has. Snout and fingers in the trough all day make for forgetfulness, if not incompetence.

Anne Wotana Kaye, London, England

Removal of the whip? This is utterly shocking. He should be sacked and prosecuted for the misappropriation of public funds. what on earth does he think gives him the right to fund his child through university at the tax payer's expense? And what does his wife do? Not a great deal I bet! This is absolutely disgraceful. Cameron must take action. Now!

Jonathan, London, UK

Wouldn't it be quicker to flag up the MPs that AREN'T crooks?

Every male MP seems to have his wife and/or mistress on the payroll, every female MP appears to be married to a crooked property dealer.

Mikey, Bromley, Kent

They don't want to discipline him because they all have their snouts in the trough.
To think, they actually wonder why no one bothers to vote anymore.
Moreover, we preach honesty to African regimes. What a joke we are.

john, lincoln,