Kilroy slammed for jungle show

POLITICIANS have slammed Robert Kilroy-Silk for appearing in I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here, claiming he has a poor attendance in European Parliament.

The independent East Midlands MEP frequently abstains in votes, turns up to just over 50% of meetings and hardly ever gives speeches to plenary, the full Parliament, they say.

The 66-year-old former TV chat show host is set to go in the jungle on Sunday night for up to three weeks.

Kilroy was criticised last year amid claims he only took part in 41% of recorded votes in the Strasbourg Parliament in 2006/07 and 43% the year before.

Tory East Midlands MEP Roger Helmer said: "My gripe with Robert Kilroy-Silk is not that he is going on TV.

"My real issue is him not doing the job he is paid to do."

MEPs receive salary of £62,000; an office allowance of £30,000 and expenses of about £200 per voting day.

But their office allowance is only paid in full if a member takes part in more than 50% of plenary votes.

Liberal Democrat Bill Newton Dunn said: "It does not say much for democracy. He is elected by the voters of all the East Midlands. That's a big job. The rest of us work hard. It is a disgrace."

Labour member Glenis Willmott said: "People are elected to do a job.

"I don't see how you can do a job of work in a jungle. It's shortchanging the voters in the East Midlands."

According to the European Parliament website, Mr Kilroy-Silk last gave a speech in plenary on October 12, 2005.

The Evening Post tried to contact Mr Kilroy-Silk but was told no response would be made to the claims.

Instead a press statement issued by ITV stated Mr Kilroy-Silk was using annual leave to go on the show.

It added that he had asked 1,570 questions in the European Parliament – three times more than all the other five East Midland MEPs put together.

"Whilst MPs and MEPs were on holiday in July and August he was working every day, tabling Parliamentary questions and dealing with his constituents' problems because he anticipated being in the jungle in November," the statement added.

But Mrs Willmott said: "Anybody can put lots of questions down. I have no idea what he does with the answers. It would be better if he attended in person."