I've alway considered fiddling expenses a fairly stupid thing to do: the benefits are usually minimal (a few pound?) while the downside of probable dismissal and loss of trust and reputation extremely high. However, in a quoted company such as HBOS expenses would need to signed off by a more senior member of staff and also I'd expect to be approved by finance before reimbursement. I was interested that HBOS had a "motivation" scheme allowing purchase of gifts for outstanding performance by staff, so the purchase of a handbag might have been legitimate. Also, £400 on meal might be acceptable if it was following a team building event. Difficult to comment without knowing HBOS's precise rules - what were the criteria for gifts, what limits per head were there for internal entertaining, was alcohol allowed with meals, who could sign off, etc - or perhaps the rules weren't precise enough and the limits were being tested? Of course, perhaps some creativity with rules is what a chancellor needs, after all, Elon would like to abandoned all rules and regulations in the US.https://www.cityam.com/rachel-reeves-investigated-over-expenses-in-hbos-banking-job/With regard to LikedIn, I'd only consider it indicative of someone's experience, while I'd expect a CV or job application form to accurately reflect their detailed experience, Perhaps it's different for politicians? I have to admit a colleague and I did once cancel an interview with a candidate because there was a significant difference between their CV and LinkedIn details! To me, misleading on a job application which is signed by an individual would appear to be misrepresentation.
Michael Ixer ● 83d