British MPs threaten to revolt over demands for expenses payback

[T_i_B]

Source: Daily Telegraph

Auditors who have been pouring over the expenses claims dating back five years will today write to up to 500 past and present MPs highlighting areas of concern before inviting them to refund the public purse.

But in an astonishing act of defiance, a spokesman for the MPs warned that they would not accept “unfair” demands to repay claims which were approved by the Commons fees office.

The backlash against the audit will outrage a public which made clear its anger at MPs who excused their questionable claims by explaining that they were “within the rules”.

Sir Thomas Legg, who is leading the team of auditors commissioned to scrutinise claims following The Daily Telegraph’s disclosures on MPs' expenses about widespread abuse of the system, is said to be applying a “reasonableness test” to the task. He is thought to be taking a critical view of claims, such as excessive bills for cleaning or gardening, even where they were approved by the fees office.


Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/6300048/MPs-threaten-to-revolt-over-demands-for-expenses-payback.html

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British MP's really are disgusting. These people didn't raise so much as a whisper when Tony Blair lied us into the Iraq war but the moment they get caught with their snouts in the trough they squeal like stuck pigs.

[harmonicon]

1. good

I suspect this will be worse for torries than labour, which would be great.

[Hopeless Romantic]

3. I suspect that most of the Tory troughers will repay on the grounds that

they would rather like to keep their seats next year (keeping their snouts in the public trough), while many Labour MPs will put two fingers up safe in the knowledge that they're history anyway.

[T_i_B]

6. That's not how it is likely to pan out

Even though all the main parties have their snouts in the trough, The Labour party took the brunt of the punishment at the County Council and European elections with the Tories the main beneficiaries.

I would imagine that Labour, as the party in government will take the brunt of it in the general election next year as well. Mind you, People would be better off looking at what their own MP has been up to regardless of what party they are.

We could really do with a recall law as well to allow the voters to kick out the worst miscreants.

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/recall#petition

[LeftishBrit]

2. Welcome to the real world...

These are people who've created a culture of micromanagement and constant assessment for the rest of us, and yet the slightest suggestion that THEIR activities could merit any assessment sets them shrieking. Typical.

[T_i_B]

4. Hmph

That rant in the OP was intended more for the LBN crowd, who I thought might be interested in how our MP's have discredited themselves.

Still, this thread's down here, so we might as well make full use of it. I'm sure I'll start blathering on about recall elections in due course.

[ikri]

5. Fucking didums

They got caught bilking the system for everything it was worth now they've been asked if they wouldn't mind paying some of it back.

If it had been anyone else caught fiddling their expenses to the same extent they'd be looking at a criminal investigation and they'd almost certainly have been sacked already.

They ought to be grateful that all they need to do is pay back a few £££.

[Nihil]

7. As you said ...

> If it had been anyone else caught fiddling their expenses to the
> same extent they'd be looking at a criminal investigation and they'd
> almost certainly have been sacked already.

Yet these bastards are whining about being asked to pay back some of
their gains ...

:grr:

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. Stop me if I'm wrong, but if benefit or tax credit claimants have their amounts calculated wrongly

then they're expected to pay it back. Isn't this an analogous situation - the MPs got more allowances than they were entitled to, and are now expected to pay them back? And an MP can afford to pay back stuff that the average claimant can't. I think they should stop whining.

I see Cameron has told his Tory MPs to pay up or get deselected.

[T_i_B]

9. MPs' expenses: Labour MP Alan Simpson openly challenges Sir Thomas Legg

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/6324154/MPs-expenses-Labour-MP-Alan-Simpson-openly-challenges-Sir-Thomas-Legg.html

As the backlash grew against Sir Thomas's review into MPs' expenses, the Nottingham South MP indicated he had no intention of returning £500 that he has been accused of over-claiming in cleaning bills.

Defying Gordon Brown's calls for MPs to settle their repayment demands to draw a line under the scandal, Mr Simpson said Sir Thomas had got it "profoundly wrong".

"I don't want to push him into going before the courts and making a bit of an ass of himself, but I think it's a corner he might usefully like to take himself out of.

"I can't bring myself to believe that he would be so stupid as to want to stay in that corner."