Cameron accuses Brown of bottling it over expenses

David Cameron has accused Brown of a lack of leadership this evening for not attending last night's defeated vote on the expenses reforms that he wanted to go through.

Meanwhile Nick Clegg has gone a step further and committed to unilaterally introducing some of the recommendations of the Members Estimates Committee, such as independent spot checks of MPs expenses and quarterly expenses reports from his "shadow cabinet".

The vast majority of MPs who voted to keep the discredited "John Lewis" status quo were Labour, including thirty-three ministers and Brown's two parliamentary private secretaries. On the Platform today Mark Field MP called for decisions on these matters to be taken away from MPs:

"It seems to me that most MPs simply fail to understand the level of public disbelief at the stream of revelations over the extensive enrichment of parliamentarians courtesy of the allowances and expenses system. All of this has grown like topsy over the past decade as a result of parliament’s repeated reluctance to bite the bullet and increase the MPs’ headline salary.

Indeed even this week the Prime Minster continues to grandstand, by publicly criticising the proposal from an independent body to raise the MPs’ headline salary and put a mechanism for independent future review in place, yet at the same time turn a blind eye to the continued scandalous abuse of the current system. Instead, a culture of cynicism has grown up with an understanding that some of the burgeoning allowances could be siphoned off as the equivalent of salary." 

Comments

[Imogen Brodie]

"Cameron accuses Brown of bottling it over expenses"

LOL... What exactly has Cameron done re the Wintertons... not to mention the MEPs and no doubt numerous other MPs busily fitting top of the range kitchens

[Winterton]

CH was right to call for Mark Field to be promoted, he's a straight-talking, tax-cutting, grammar school-preserving Cameroon.

[Spelperson?]

What about Spelperson's nanny on Commons expenses? The allegations against the Chairperson seem just as serious as those against Ray Lewis. Why has she not resigned yet?

[robert]

Imogen,
Read the report fully before you judge, you might then not be quick to make such accusations! You are typical of people who condemn without appraising yourself of the facts - but then again that applies to most armchair commentators.

[Nigel Syson]

MPs ( and MEPs) expenses should be subject to three rules : complete transparency ; independent audit;and incurred wholly, exclusively and necessarily in the performance of their duties.

If any of my clients claimed expenses like MPs the Inland Revenue ( under instructions from Ministers and MPs) would throw the book at them and seek to prosecute.

I hope the constituency parties of those MPs who voted to keep the John Lewis lists consider the future of these MPs.

[Malcolm Dunn]

The MPs who voted to maintain the status quo are desperately out of touch. I would hope their constituency party's will castigate them for this . Not suprised that yet again David Maclean defends the indefensible and does it badly. This man really is no asset to the Conservative Party at all.

[Cleethorpes Rock]

So, after hearing of how Labour MPs abused our frontbench as they voted for reforms, and the fact that a huge percentage of Labour MPs voted for the John Lewis List compared to Conservative, David Cameron has a great opportunity to purge the party of the greedy pigs who give us a bad name.

David Maclean is a disgrace to the party. Not only is he clearly overclaiming, but he even tried to change the freedom of information bill in order to stop the rest of us finding out about it! He, along with the Ferdinand and Imelda of British politics, the Wintertons should be shown the door and some new blood brought in who care more about being thrifty with taxpayers' money than spending it on themselves.

[robert]

Cleethorpe Rocks - As I have posted previously elsewhere, I find it disappointing that we have the same childish comments yet again. You seem unable to look at the facts (i.e. read a report in its entirety, or more appropiately take a balanced view, like checking the facts before making assertions. You are quick to judge, demonstrating such breathless arrogance/ignorance. Re the Wintertons, Sir Nicholas only last year was voted in the Telegraph the 3rd best value MP in terms of contribution/cost basis and both are in the bottom decile of costs when excluding London based MPs for most of their Parliamentary careers - so before you condemn just look a little beyond the 'soundbite and spin' from people with an agenda and actually get some facts before you spout your infantile comments. You are both ignorant and ageist and intolerant. Finally, it is up to the local people of Macclesfield and Congleton who know them both far better than you who ultimately will decide.

[Christopher Chantrill]

This scandal is very like the US "House Bank" scandal of the early 1990s. You can often fool the people on the big stuff. But ordinary people understand the small stuff, like congressmen getting interest-free overdrafts and MPs fiddling their expenses. They don't like it.

That "vast majority" of Labour MPs and ministers better watch it.