By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, which was set up as the regulator for expenses following the Parliamentary expenses scandal, has often been criticised by MPs for being too bureaucratic, remote from those it seeks to regulate, and for enforcing seemingly illogical rules. IPSA's popularity amongst MPs has, however, not […]
By Jonathan Isaby The BBC is reporting that the former Labour MP for Livingston, Jim Devine, has been jailed for 16 months over his parliamentary expense claims. He was last month found guilty of using false invoices to claim £8,385 for cleaning and printing work.
Here is how the Press Association is reporting the news: Former Labour MP Jim Devine has been found guilty of fiddling his expenses. Devine, 57, who held the Livingston seat, submitted false invoices for cleaning and printing work totalling £8,385. He was found guilty by a jury at Southwark Crown Court of two charges of […]
By Jonathan Isaby The MPs' expenses scandal has seen its first culprit to be jailed. David Chaytor (pictured), formerly Labour MP for Bury North, pleaded guilty last month to three charges of false accounting, after submitting bogus invoices to support claims totalling £22,650. He has just been sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to 18 months […]
By Jonathan Isaby Sir John Stanley, the Conservative MP for Tonbridge and Malling, believes that by the way it is handling expenses claims, IPSA is effectively stopping MPs from being able to discharge their duties and, as such, could be in breach of parliamentary privilege. He has given notice that he wants the Commons Standards […]
By Jonathan Isaby In December last year, the Sunday Times accused Conservative peer Lord Taylor of Warwick of claiming tens of thousands of pounds in expenses to which he should not have been entitled. The accusations surrounded alleged claims using his late mother's address as his main home six years after her death. Today the […]
The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has today announced details of a new expenses scheme for MPs. IPSA has highlighted the following key changes in its press release: An end to “second homes”: IPSA will replace the “second home” with rented accommodation. From the summer, there will be a two-year transitional period for MPs who currently […]
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, has just announced that charges are being brought against four politicians under section 17 of the Theft Act 1968 for false accounting. They are: Elliot Morley (Labour MP for Scunthorpe) – Two charges: for dishonestly claiming mortgage expenses of £14,428; and for dishonestly claiming £16,000 when there as […]
The House of Commons heard a statement from the Speaker about expenses yesterday. Herewith the lowlights: "Members will be aware of the unauthorised disclosure of material relating to their allowances, which has appeared in the press on Friday and over the weekend. This has caused great public concern. Leaving aside the legal aspect, to which […]
During the debate on MPs' expenses yesterday Derek Conway, MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, made a noteworthy contribution. (He is listed as a Conservative in Hansard but is not on the Conservative Party website's list of MPs.) He compared his own experience after being found to have paid his son for work that was not undertaken […]
The House of Commons endured extraordinary scenes yesterday in the debate on MP's expenses. Sir George Young, who chairs the Standards and Privileges Committee, had tabled an amendment to defeat the Government's motions, as he felt they pre-empted Sir Christopher Kelly's independent review for the Committee on Standards in Public Life. Then Leader of the House Harriet Harman announced that the […]