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http://www.lovemoney.com/news/isas/dont-fall-for-the-isa-ripoff-lie-4471.aspx
Don't fall for the ISA rip-off lie Jane Baker

28 January 2010
MPs and expenses: the final damning verdict

'Culture of dishonesty' at Westminster allowed politicians to line their
pockets

By Nigel Morris, Deputy Political Editor

*Thursday, 4 February 2010*

[image: Sir Thomas Legg's handling of the MPs' expenses review is to be
questioned by a senior
judge]<http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-and-expenses-the-final-damning-verdict-1888969.html?action=Popup>

*PA*

Sir Thomas Legg's handling of the MPs' expenses review is to be questioned
by a senior judge

   - [image: 
Photos]enlarge<http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-and-expenses-the-final-damning-verdict-1888969.html?action=Popup&gallery=no>

The reputation of British politicians will receive a fresh body blow today
as the Commons expenses auditor accuses them of deliberately creating a
culture of dishonesty at Westminster.

Sir Thomas Legg, who has scrutinised the claims of more than 700 politicians
over five years, will order 350 of them to repay up to £1m of public money
as he publishes details of his trawl through their expenses. His scathing
comments, contained in a foreword to his report, will put him on a collision
course with backbenchers livid over being forced to return so much cash.

*The Independent* has learnt that Sir Thomas has concluded that MPs – and
not Commons officials – should shoulder the blame for the expenses scandal
that convulsed Westminster last year. He will acknowledge that a "culture of
deference" developed at the Commons fees office which meant officials rarely
challenged or refused MPs' claims.

But he will target his anger at politicians of all parties for not only
tolerating expenses fiddles, but "knowingly" encouraging an allowances
system that enabled MPs of all parties to line their pockets. Sir Thomas
will today publish details of the individual payments that MPs will be
expected to return to the taxpayer.

They will be instructed to pay the money back within weeks – or have the
cash deducted from their salaries or severance payments at the election.

His strongly worded comments will intensify many MPs' hostility to the
auditor. There have been widespread protests that Sir Thomas took far too
tough an approach to examining their claims as they were only following the
rules in force at the time.

Several MPs have had their repayment demands slashed, or even cancelled,
after about 75 of them put their case to Sir Paul Kennedy, the senior judge
who has been considering appeals. But Sir Thomas will dismiss the argument
that MPs were complying with the existing rules as he announces that almost
half of the current and former MPs whose claims he has examined will have to
pay back money.

His report was still being finalised last night as MPs submitted last-minute
paperwork to him. Commons sources confirmed he had concluded that around 350
MPs would have to return a total close to £1m. Among them is Gordon Brown,
who was hit by a demand for £12,415, including £10,716 for cleaning. David
Cameron has returned £680.

The largest repayment is expected to be made by Bernard Jenkin, the former
Tory frontbencher, who has been told to return the £36,250 that he claimed
for rent payments to his sister-in-law. He had been instructed by Sir Thomas
to give back £63,250, but the amount was reduced after he appealed against
the ruling.

Details of MPs' repayment demands will be published alongside new figures
for their claims for travel and office expenses in 2008-09. Information will
also be released about bookings of Commons rooms by MPs over the last five
years for public and private organisations.

Sir Thomas, a retired civil servant, was appointed in October to head a
panel re-examining every expense claim for the second homes allowance
submitted by MPs over five years. His tough interpretation of what was
permissible – including laying down cash limits on what MPs should have
claimed for services including cleaning and gardening – caused resentment
among backbenchers. Their anger will be fuelled by comments today by Sir
Paul, who is expected to criticise Sir Thomas's decision to impose
retrospective rules and to dismiss the idea that MPs should be punished now
because their claims were deemed to be "tainted".

Leaders of the major parties, who all experienced the anger of voters at
last year's local and European elections, are anxious that the Legg report
will draw a line under the expenses controversy and have urged their MPs to
accept his rulings. The Prime Minister's spokesman said yesterday: "He feels
very strongly it is time to move on to the new system."

But controversy over the issue will continue for months as Sir Ian Kennedy,
the new parliamentary regulator, works on details of the new expenses
regime. The aim is to announce the new system by mid-March, by which time
the parties will have selected almost all of their general election
candidates, and to have it in place by mid-May.

He is expected to approve a call from Sir Christopher Kelly, chairman of the
Committee on Standards in Public Life, for MPs to be banned from employing
relatives within five years. MPs whose constituencies are within London's
public transport network will be banned from claiming for second homes.

Sir Ian is also set to rule that MPs who retire voluntarily, rather than
lose their seats at an election, should no longer be entitled to
taxpayer-funded "golden goodbyes".

*Timeline: Shadow over Westminster*

*8 May 2009* *The Daily Telegraph* prints the first in a series of extracts
from leaked computer discs containing details of MPs' second home claims.

*19 May* Michael Martin announces he will stand down as Speaker and unveils
new interim rules on allowances.

*27 May* A Labour "star chamber" disciplinary panel begins considering cases
against MPs.

*18 June* Expenses claims are published, but many crucial details are
blacked out.

*19 June* Scotland Yard announces it is investigating a small number of MPs
and peers.

*23 June* The Parliamentary Standards Bill is published and rushed into law
in a month. It removes MPs' right to set their own allowances.

*25 June* An internal inquiry into Conservative MPs' claims leads to the
repayment of £125,000.

*12 October* The auditor, Sir Thomas Legg, sends letters to MPs, spelling
out how much he expects them to repay. Gordon Brown repays more than
£12,000.

*3 November* Sir Ian Kennedy is appointed chairman of the Independent
Parliamentary Standards Authority.

*4 November* Committee on Standards in Public Life, headed by Sir
Christopher Kelly, concludes MPs should not be able to claim for mortgage
interest, "golden goodbyes" should be slashed, and MPs should be banned from
employing relatives.

*10 December* Hundreds of thousands more receipts from claims in 2008-9 are
published.

*17 December* Up to 80 MPs say they will appeal against Sir Thomas's
repayment demands, with former Appeal Court Judge Sir Paul Kennedy to make
the final decision.

*January 2010* MPs learn the results of their appeals. Many say their
repayment orders have been overturned or cut.


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