A KLAPHAT

Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the former and likely-to-be-next Prime Minister of Denmark, has a problem with expense claims. Last autumn was dominated by tales of how much money he got in travel and hotel expenses for being Chairman of a Government-funded organisation that didn't seem to do very much except fly him around the world in luxury. This was on top of previous episodes from before he was in Government and when he was a Minister. At a time of austerity, voters were not impressed.

Now more muck has emerged. Back in 2011, when he was Prime Minister, his party Venstre decided to give him some money for clothes, so that he would look good in the forthcoming general election campaign (which he narrowly lost). Leave aside the fact that most Danes think that they should buy their own workclothes, particularly if they are paid a Prime Minister's salary. It was the amount, kr.152.000 (roughly £17,000), that made people gawp. Vast numbers of suits and shirts; shoes at £300 a pair. Etc, etc.

There are two further potential problems. The first is tax. These are benefits-in-kind from an employer, so if they are above the de minimis level (which these certainly were), then the value should be declared and taxed as income. Mr. Rasmussen says that all the paperwork is in order; though he refuses to prove that. Moreover, he said that about the earlier cases, and that turned out not to be true. What are the odds that it will be true in this case as well?

Secondly, political parties in Denmark are financed (in part) by the state, based on the number of votes that they get at general elections. In other words, although the payments were made by a political party, they can also be viewed as being financed by taxpayers. Said taxpayers are not amused, particularly as leaders in other Nordic countries (which Denmark is continually comparing itself with) buy their own wardrobes.

Klaphat (literally "clap hat") is a Danish word used to describe those big hats that sports fans use, where the ears can clap. In common speech, it also means an idiot. In not being able to see how such luxurious arrangements look to the average Dane, Lars Løkke Rasmussen has without doubt shown himself to be a klaphat. The most worrying thing is that despite that, he may yet be the country's next Prime Minister.

Walter Blotscher