Setback for No 10 ahead of expenses vote
By politics.co.uk staff
The Commons’ influential anti-sleaze watchdog has handed Gordon Brown his latest setback in the run-up to tomorrow’s vote by MPs.
The standards and privileges committee, chaired by Sir George Young, announced late yesterday it opposed Downing Street’s attempt to impose interim arrangements on parliament.
Gordon Brown has already been forced to withdraw the most significant of his proposed reforms, replacing the second homes allowance with a daily attendance rate, for tomorrow’s vote.
Tabled amendments to tomorrow’s vote by the standards and privileges committee would see the remaining moves – including those on MPs’ second incomes and staffing arrangements – also put on hold.
It wants the government to revert back to its original position – to wait until the ongoing review by Sir Christopher Kelly is completed.
The committee said yesterday: “The effect of the amendments is to allow the independent committee on standards in public life, chaired by Sir Christopher Kelly, to complete its review of members’ allowances without being pre-empted by decisions of the House of Commons.”
