Esther Rantzen may stand to be MP

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk_politics/8055451.stm

Version 0 of 1.

Television presenter Esther Rantzen says she is "sick" of the MPs' expenses scandal and may stand for Parliament.

Her plan is to stand against the Labour MP Margaret Moran who claimed £22,500 treating dry rot at her second home - 100 miles from her constituency.

Ms Rantzen said Mrs Moran's claims had made her "angry" and said she wants to stand as an independent against her.

The Luton South Labour MP initially defended the claim - but has now repaid the claims for the Southampton home.

She said the Commons fees office had approved the claims for the home in the city where her partner had worked for 20 years and said she could not "have a proper family life... unless I share the costs of the Southampton home".

But she later announced she was repaying the money because of "constituents' anger at the current fees regime".

Ms Rantzen told the BBC that she thought it might be time for another independent candidate to step forward, as Martin Bell did in the 1990s.

She said she wanted to stand as an independent candidate somewhere: "If the voters think it's worthwhile and they want me, here I am".