MacKay attended Solihull School, an independent school in Solihull, West Midlands. After leaving school he chaired the Solihull Young Conservatives. He has worked as a car salesman, estate agent and company director. [citation needed]
MacKay and Kirkbride own two homes: one in her constituency; and a flat close to Parliament in Westminster. In a case of so-called "double-dipping," according to The Daily Telegraph, MacKay had used his Additional Costs Allowance to claim more than £1,000 a month in mortgage interest payments on their joint Westminster flat. His wife used her Additional Costs Allowance to claim over £900 a month on paying off the mortgage for their family home near her constituency. This means they effectively had no main home but two second homes – and were using public funds to pay for both of them. During 2008–9, MacKay claimed a total of £23,083 under Additional Costs Allowance, while Kirkbride claimed £22,575. They also claimed for each other's travel costs, with Kirkbride claiming £1,392 to meet spouse travel, while MacKay claimed £408.[1] On 14 May 2009, he resigned from his position as parliamentary aide to Cameron in the wake of the furore over Parliamentary expenses after what was described as an "unacceptable" expenses claim.[2]
At a public meeting in his constituency on 22 May he had been heckled, and called a "thieving toad" according to The Independent.[3]
In an interview with Matthew Amroliwala on BBC News the following morning, MacKay apologised for his error of judgement. In what he claimed was an agreed procedure with the Parliamentary Claims office, he had designated their Westminster home as his secondary home, while Kirkbride has designated the Bromsgrove house as her second home. MacKay announced that the procedure had been ongoing for eight or nine years, and that he would be repaying the monies after taking advice from the Conservatives scrutiny committee.[citation needed]
On 23 May 2009, after a telephone call from Cameron, it was announced that MacKay would stand down at the 2010 general election.[4]
Personal life
In 1974 MacKay married Diana Joy Kinchin; they had two children, but divorced in 1996. The following year, MacKay married Julie Kirkbride, a fellow Conservative MP; the couple have a son who attended Westminster School.[5]
^Crossley, Lucy; Peck, Tom (23 May 2009). "I have no wish to be represented by a thief". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 29 May 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2009. During the 90-minute discussion, few questions were asked by those present. One constituent told him to resign while another commented: "I've no wish to be represented in the next parliament by a thief." One constituent simply called him a "thieving toad".
