MPs finding expenses resistance futile
By Alex Stevenson
Westminster’s party system looked to have succeeded in quashing isolated MPs’ frustrations with their expenses repayments, after a day of trauma in parliament.
Both Gordon Brown and David Cameron rushed to give their support to expenses investigator Sir Thomas Legg as MPs considered whether to resist his demands to repay expenses claims.
None of the touted attempts of backbenchers to unite together in opposition to Sir Thomas’ demands, dispatched in letters sent to around 600 MPs yesterday, appeared likely to succeed.
MPs have expressed anger that Sir Thomas’ judgments about what is acceptable are being applied retrospectively.
In extreme circumstances they could express this dissatisfaction through a Commons vote which would see MPs reject Legg’s demands.
But this now appears unlikely after party leaders told their respective MPs to accept Sir Thomas’ rulings. Claims the parliamentary Labour party (PLP) could meet with the Conservative equivalent in extraordinary circumstances were reportedly thwarted by its chairman, Tony Lloyd.
This morning Mr Cameron made adherence with the Legg letters a party membership issue. He told GMTV that “if people are asked to pay back money and they don’t pay it back, in my view they can’t… stand as Conservative MPs”.
Mr Brown appeared to issue a similar threat to his own MPs today. He told journalists MPs from all parties had to comply.
Earlier reports circulated Westminster that some backbenchers were considering contributing money to a legal fund which could mount a legal challenge to Sir Thomas’ conclusions. These remain unconfirmed.
Some MPs are speaking out regardless. Bill Etherington told the Sunderland Echo he would refuse to pay back expenses claims if he felt they were “justified under the rules at the time”.
And Ann Widdecombe, who like Mr Etherington will stand down at the next election, told the BBC if any other employer had changed the rules on expenses would be “up before a tribunal”.
Yesterday evening the prime minister spent around a third of his remarks to the PLP’s weekly meeting discussing the Legg letters. He acknowledged the “frustration” expressed by many in the room but told his party: “We cannot have closure unless we deal with this.”
Mr Brown had sent a letter of his own to Cabinet members informing them complying with Sir Thomas’ demands “does not bring into question their conduct”.
“The past system of expenses has comprehensively failed and we have taken action to completely replace it,” he wrote.
“Our actions will mean the discredited regime is completely replaced, that we prevent the problems of the past from happening again and to help restore public confidence.”
Sir Thomas’ letters fell into three categories. Some MPs were given the all clear. Others, like David Cameron, were asked to provide further details justifying their claims. A third group were asked to repay sections of their claims.
The prime minister will repay £12,415 under the final category.
The Scottish National party issued its own ultimatum to other parties by publishing in full the recommendations made by former civil servant Sir Thomas.
“Attempts by other parties to hide information will only leave the public wondering what it is they have to hide,” Glasgow East MP John Mason said.
“If trust is ever to be restored in Westminster, all parties in the House of Commons must publish and pay up.”
MPs have three weeks to query or challenge the draft conclusions contained in yesterday’s letters, a spokesman for Sir Thomas said yesterday.
Many intend to do so. Conservative MP Nadine Dorries was asked to pay back £241 for a BT bill which he claimed had been paid for twice. “I’ve been into my account, it wasn’t,” she tweeted.
Independent MP Bob Spink denied council tax and rent worth £350 were ‘paid twice’. “I hope to be repaid if I can show the review assumptions to be incorrect,” he said.
Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker expressed concerns of his own. While he was cleared by Sir Thomas, he voiced anxiety about why the investigator wanted to know why he had not provided evidence of mortgage interest payments.
“I am concerned that he appears to have made some rather elementary errors when investigating the claims of MPs, and to be honest, I think that the public will now need to be assured that a thorough and proper investigation was indeed conducted,” he said.
Sir Thomas will deliver his final report by the beginning of December.
