Expenses: Time to face the music
By Ian Dunt
MPs are travelling back to their constituencies today, with voters prepared to express their anger over the expenses scandal.
MPs are leaving parliament as Westminster continues to convulse over the scandel, with Shahid Malik stepping down as justice minister after the Telegraph published details of his second home allowance.
Justice minister steps down over expenses
David Cameron called it “a time of great danger for our democracy” this morning, as he campaigned ahead of the local and European elections.
Conservatives are posting all of their expenses online, as of today.
Many MPs are holding open public meetings in their constituencies in an effort to draw a line under the issue.
After an unprecedented few days in Westminster, many MPs are focusing their attentions on their seats, with some talking openly about giving up the job.
Those MPs who have clean expenses claims are some of the worst affected, many of them bitter with anger at the way all politicians have been tarred with the same brush.
More dubious claims were revealed today, with independent MP Claire Short and Mr Malik in the spotlight.
The justice minister and his home cinema system
Mr Malik is understood to have claimed more on second homes allowance than any other MP, totting up a maximum £66,827 allowances over three years for his second home in London.
Some of that money went on a home cinema system.
At the same time, he was paying just £100 a week in rent for a three-bedroom house in Dewsbury to a landlord once found guilty of renting out an uninhabitable property.
Ms Short’s case rests on money she paid back well before the expenses scandal broke – in 2006.
She was paid £8,000 too much after claiming on mortgage payments on her second home, rather than just the interest.
Calling it an “honest mistake”, the former development secretary attacked the Daily Telegraph, which has been publishing the details for a week now, because it is “just trying to smear everybody”.
Tory MP Greg Barker paid back £10,000 today, which he made buying and selling a flat he bought with expenses.
This afternoon, a local businessman announced he intended to stand against Elliot Morley, the Labour MP suspended from the parliamentary party yesterday.
Mr Morely sent out a Twitter message today saying he “couldn’t wait” to put his side of the story.
There was talk of legal action in Westminster yesterday with campaign group TaxPayers’ Alliance teaming up with the Daily Mail to look into the idea.
That campaign follows a letter to Met commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson from Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon, calling for an investigation of MPs’ expenses.
“If I do nothing then I am as good as condoning what has gone on,” Mr Mallon said.
The sense of public anger was palpable on last night’s Qestion Time, in which members of the audience barracked housing minister Margaret Beckett, former Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell and Tory frontbencher Theresa May over expenses.
Ex-Tory cabinet minister Michael Portillo said: “I hardly remember a Question Time like it.”
The effect of the scandal has been so severe, Labour strategists have been thrown into turmoil, with few political officials able to concentrate on the upcoming local and European elections.
A YouGov poll for the Sun showed Labour support plummeting to its lowest level ever, at just 22 per cent. The Tories were also being battered by the scandal, losing nine points in a month.
Expenses: Every party damaged, new poll suggests
Officials are worried that fundraising for the elections will be all but impossible unless Mr Brown does something to close the gap between the two parties.
There was renewed talk of a post-election reshuffle today, with rumours that Peter Mandelson could become foreign secretary, with current occupant David Miliband being moved to the Home Office.
Beleaguered current home secretary Jacqui Smith is understood to have asked the prime minister for a demotion so she could concentrate on trying to keep her seat at the next general election.
Reshuffle rumours emerge as party dog-fight begins
The furore over the scandal may prompt Gordon Brown to launch an early reshuffle.
Reshuffle rumours emerge as party dog-fight begins
It was a tactic Labour officials were considering anyway, to deal with the fall-out of what are expected to be disastrous results for the governing party in the upcoming local and European elections.
Meanwhile, the pressure continues to build over Commons Speaker Michael Martin.
Huhne joins chorus for Martin to step down
Mr Martin is strongly connected to the scandal, having once participated in an attempt to have the House of Commons excluded from Freedom of Information laws.
