MPs' train tickets: A better class of scoop

While George Osborne's antics in a first-class carriage fanned the flames of public resentment against our privileged politicians, it came as little surprise to learn that many an MP from both sides of House prefers to steer clear of the hoi polloi.

Following reports that more than 180 MPs have been enjoying first-class travel at taxpayers' expense, most of them chose to lie low as the angry mob gathered on Twitter. Among those to briefly return fire was the Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy, who defiantly claimed that his first-class requirement on the Caledonian Sleeper was a matter of national security.

"When I travel with confidential constituency or defence paperwork, I don't sleep overnight in a two-bed cabin with a complete stranger," said the MP for East Renfrewshire, adding that such a scenario occurs "on average once a year". So now we know: next time Murphy is spied heading into the first-class compartment, there's a decent story brewing.