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Blackout backlash prompts expenses rethink

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19th June 2009

Gordon Brown and David Cameron have promised greater openness after a backlash at the release of heavily censored Commons expense receipts.

Parliament and its officials have been criticised for trying to cover up information.

Over a million documents were published on the House of Commons website on Thursday, but many were so heavily edited they were indecipherable, with any security or personal details omitted.

Addresses were blacked out which made identifying the 'flipping" of second homes impossible.

The prime minister said the latest problems would be dealt with in new proposals.

"The redacted expenses were part of the old system; that cannot be the new system," Brown said.

"The old system is being swept aside by the changes that we are making and a new, far more transparent system, is being introduced.

"While ensuring that security issues are addressed, as they have to be, our first principle must be maximum transparency.

"That will be part of the new legislation to set up an independent parliamentary regulator to take all these issues out of the hands of MPs.

"MPs must be able to do their jobs of course but the public must be able to hold us properly to account."

Meanwhile, the Conservative leader said he would back moves to publish claims from 2008/09 "as quickly as possible and in an uncensored form".

Only confidential information such as phone numbers and bank details should be redacted, Cameron said.

"The heavily censored publication yesterday of MPs expenses did nothing to improve the reputation of Parliament," he added.

"My shadow cabinet are already publishing their current expense claims online. I have today asked them to include all significant correspondence and receipts.

"This is a large but necessary task. All MPs must explain their past errors and account for them. But I am determined that from this point on myself and my Shadow Cabinet will do all we can to be as transparent as possible.

"Only then can trust between the public and their politicians begin to be rebuilt."

Up to 200 MPs have paid back nearly £500,000 in the wake of the expenses scandal.

Meanwhile, Mid Bedfordshire MP Nadine Dorries revealed that she had received threatening messages and had her home vandalised in light of the expenses scandal.

She wrote on her blog: "On Wednesday night I arrived back in the constituency to find the furniture on my patio broken to bits.

"I then received a blog comment which I didn't post but which read 'nice patio Nadine, or was'."

"Thank goodness my daughter stayed at a friend's that night and when I got into the back door, both of the dogs were huddled, shivering wrecks. Fat use they are!"

The Conservative backbencher added: "I didn't claim for my patio furniture either. It was a present from my mum."

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Article Comments

THIS IS NOT DEMOCRACY. If MPs' have broken the Law, they should be prosecuted under the 2006 Fraud Act (sections 1-4) If MPs' have swindled the Taxman,they should be prosecuted by HMRC for evading Capital Gains Tax .

Frank
19th Jun 2009 at 2:11 pm



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