Peer claimed Lords expenses while on probation
By politics.co.uk staff
A Labour peer who was jailed for arson claimed thousands of pounds in expenses whilst on early release, it has been revealed.
Lord Watson, former Labour MP, was jailed for 16 months in September 2005 after he set fire to curtains in a hotel whilst drunk.
He was released in May 2006 and while on probation claimed up to £308 a day in House of Lords expenses, which are paid for by the tax payers.
Since Lord Watson left prison he has claimed about £100,000 in expenses despite his minimal activity within the Lords.
The peer also works as a director for a Scottish-based public-affairs company which offers “parliamentary monitoring”.
Lords can claim more than £80 a day plus an overnight allowance of more than £165 simply for signing in each day. Unlike the House of Commons, expenses are automatically paid and do not require receipts.
Lord Watson was a Labour MP from 1989 to 1997 and received a life peerage from Tony Blair after leaving the Commons. He also became a member of the Scottish parliament, although he resigned this position after his arrest.
He was expelled from the Labour party after he was arrested.
The revelation heightens the pressure on the need to reform the House of Lords after four Labour peers have been exposed in the “cash for amendments” scandal.
Jack Straw, justice secretary, has pledged to introduce new laws to allow peers to be expelled if convicted of a criminal offence.
A present it is almost impossible to expel a peer, in contrast to MPs who automatically lose their right to sit in the Commons if they are sentenced to more than a year in prison.
