House of Commons asks police to investigate expenses leak
By Ian Dunt
The police have been asked to investigate the leaking of Cabinet expenses, which appeared in the Daily Telegraph today.
The Met released a statement this afternoon confirming they had received a request from the House of Commons “to investigate the alleged unauthorised disclosure of information relating to members’ allowances”.
The statement continued: “We are currently considering their request.”
The government was thrown into a high stakes damage limitation exercise today when details of the expenses were published.
The list of expenses make for disastrous reading for the prime minister, who finds himself implicated in the scandal, having paid £6,500 for a cleaner at his Westminster flat.
The information shows Gordon Brown transferred his second home status to the his constituency home in Fife just ten days after Tony Blair announced he would step down.
Mr Brown then moved from the Westminster flat to Number 10 Downing Street and spent second home allowances on gardening and renovation work in the Fife home.
“This is a system that’s got to change,” he told the BBC this morning. “You probably remember that I’ve been trying to make the big changes to this system.
“MPs have to live in two places at once. There’s got to be some recognition there, but the system doesn’t work.
He continued: “I’ve been determined over the last few months that the system is wrong, it’s not the way it should work. I’ve tried to persuad other MPs of that. There will be another system in place in the next few months.”
There was contrition and calls for reform across the political spectrum today.
Tory leader David Cameron said: “I completely understand how angry the public are about this and we desperately need change.
“We’ve got to sort out the system. Clearly every MP has to explain themselves. That’s what I will do when mine are published, and I’m looking forward to that.”
But Mr Brown is not the only high ranking member of government to be implicated by the report.
Justice secretary Jack Straw received a 50 per cent discount on his council tax bills, but still claimed the full amount for expenses, only realising the mistake later, and then paying back the money.
“There’s no question I’ve acted fully within the rules of the Commons,” he said this morning.
“If I may say so, this is a normal thing that might happen, not just to members of parliament. It’s an error that I wish hadn’t happened.
“I was incredibly busy during that period. That’s not an excuse, it’s just an explanation.”
Communities secretary Hazel Blears totted up claims for three different properties in the space of a single year, at one point spending over £5,000 in furniture in three months.
Business secretary Peter Mandelson, claimed thousands of pounds to improve his constituency home after he had resigned as an MP, before going on to sell the home for £136,000 profit.
Chancellor Alistair Darling changed his second home designation four times in as many years while foreign secretary David Miliband spent hundreds of pounds on gardening.
Transport secretary Geoff Hoon switched his second home designation, then improved his family home at taxpayers’ expense before buying a London home.
But it is the prime minister’s expenses which will come under greatest scrutiny.
Mr Brown shared a cleaner with his brother Andrew, a business executive, and then sent him £241.30 a month for his side of the costs.
Downing Street insisted the payments were merely to reimburse his share of the costs and that Andrew Brown “did not receive any financial benefit”.
“At all times the prime minister has acted with the full approval of the parliamentary authorities,” a spokesman continued.
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg told the BBC: “This just goes on and on.
“No-one comes out of this smelling of roses. We need to put a stop to this, change it, and change it completely. It does an immense amount of damage to British democracy.”
Full details of MPs’ expenses will be released in July, but today’s report puts massive pressure on the government and suggests it will have an even worse time during the upcoming local and European elections.
