Kilroy was here...but now he's not there...have you seen our Euro-MP?

Robert Kilroy Silk misses more than half the votes in the Strasbourg parliament and when he does vote, he almost always abstains according to complaints led by his East Midlands colleagues.

Kilroy Silk was elected to represent the East Midlands as one of our six Euro-MPs -and he's paid handsomely to do just that.

This week, the two Tory MEPs for the region complained this week that perma-tanned Kilroy Silk is 'taking the pith'.

Right-winger Roger says MEPs have to participate in at least 50% of recorded votes to claim their daily expense allowance, and that means voting Yes, or No, or abstaining.

Roger Helmer claims: “He’s not voting to represent his constituents. He’s abstaining to get his expenses”.

Kilroy Silk was elected on a UKIP ticket three years ago, but fell out with UKIP after his bid to become leader failed. He launched his own party, Veritas, and I was was humiliated when he stood for Westminster against Labour's Liz Blackman in Erewash in 2005.

(For me, the sweetest moment of the 2005 campaign was seeing a solid hard-working constituency MP triumph over the here-today, gone-tomorrow, flash-in the-pan tactics of Kilroy Silk).

Roger Helmer says since then, Kilroy has only been an occasional visitor to the parliament but still draws his salary and expenses.

Fellow Tory MEP for East Midlands, Lincoln based Chris Heaton-Harris says:

”I’m guessing he abstains because he has no idea what he’s voting on, and would rather abstain than risk voting for something he disagrees with. But he’s paid to represent the people of the East Midlands, and to vote in their interests, and he’s just not doing his job”.

I look forward to seeing Kilroy Silk's response to these very serious charges against him.