Six MPs ‘still owe’ expenses money
By politics.co.uk staff
Six MPs have reportedly still not paid back expenses money as requested by the audit of Sir Thomas Legg eight months ago.
Helen Clark, John Lyons, Ivor Caplin, Lorna Fitzsimons, Diana Organ and Baroness Adams still have claims to be repaid, according to a Freedom of Information request by the BBC’s World at One programme.
Of those six, only two have made arrangements to pay back their share of the money claimed wrongfully (according to Sir Thomas’ audit).
Meanwhile, Baroness Adams and Ms Fitzsimmons deny any requirement to make the repayment.
In total, the MPs owe in excess of £50,000 – all that remains of the £1.1 million demanded by the Legg audit.
Few MPs have publicly objected to the repayments given the lingering outrage over the issue of expenses, but the Legg repayments did cause disquiet among the 389 MPs involved.
The MPs refusing to repay argue that because the letter of law was unclear, they do not in fact owe the money in the first place.
Four other parliamentarians are currently being prosecuted for criminal offences.
Their attempt to use the ancient law of parliamentary privilege to defend themselves has been rejected by the Court of Appeal.
