Sir, – I notice that the new Government is not practising what it preaches.

Bearing in mind that David Laws is clearly regarded as an able politician for the position he was given, he should have kept up-to-date with the changes in House rules on expenses.

Where was he last year when the rules changed on expenses?

What made David Laws think that anyone would be interested in his private life enough to excuse him, commiserate with him or understand his reasoning that would allow him to ignore the new rules.

He should not have attempted to keep his private life secret by lying to the House or by continuing to claim expenses to which he was not entitled from 2006.

Had a member of the previous Government committed such a breach, the Opposition and Press would have hounded that MP out of office.

Instead, we get the new Government showering David Laws with compliments and best wishes and talking of his return to Government in the near future.

The fact that David Laws was putting together the way we will be dealing with our finances in the future to reduce the deficit, while defrauding the Government on the other hand, seems to have been ignored.

It is we who should be commiserated with, for the loss of money that could be used for public services.

JANET SEYMOUR KIRK Danes Crest, Brompton, Northallerton.