THESE days more than ever, perception runs very deep in politics.

Tory MP Julie Kirkbride says “it might appear strange” that she paid her sister £12,000 a year to be her parttime secretary, working 140 miles from her constituency.

But the Bromsgrove MP insists that her sister had done a “fantastic job”.

Her brother also happens to live rent-free in a taxpayer-funded flat, but Ms Kirkbride has stressed that he helps to run the family home.

This all comes on top of the fact that Ms Kirkbride’s husband Andrew MacKay has been forced to stand down from Parliament at the next election after claiming second home expenses of £23,000 a year on the couple’s London address, despite not having a property in his Bracknell constituency.

Oh yes, it all appears very strange indeed. In fact, it appears to be a glaring case of feathering the family nest at our expense.

Meanwhile, North-East MP Doug Henderson has confirmed that he has been paid £100,000 by McDonald’s over the past four years for working ten days a year as an advisor.

He has correctly declared the role on the register of MPs’ interests and defends it on the grounds that it helps him understand the challenges facing businesses.

Isn’t that understanding part of his job as an MP? Does he really need to be paid £25,000 a year for gaining that knowledge and passing on his own advice in return?

Some of Mr Henderson’s constituents in Newcastle North may accept that his experience with McDonald’s is of great benefit to them.

Many more may perceive that his main motivation is financial.