MPs face criticism over expenses vote

MPs face further criticism after voting to retain controversial expenses rules.

Liberal Democrat Nick Harvey, a member of the committee which drew up a package of reforms, said MPs would find it "very hard" to alter the perception they have their "snouts in the trough".

On Thursday MPs voted by 172 to 144 to retain the additional costs allowance used to fund members' London homes.

This £24,000-a-year budget can be used to pay for kitchens, bathrooms or televisions - the so-called "John Lewis list" of acceptable household purchases.

The Commons members' estimates committee had put forward a package of reforms, including plans for an external audit.

MPs also rejected this change, in favour of additional scrutiny of expenses by Commons authorities.

Of the 172 who backed the amendment rejecting a significant part of the reforms, 146 were Labour MPs.

They included 33 ministers, among them home secretary Jacqui Smith, culture secretary Andy Burnham and housing minister Caroline Flint.

More than half of MPs - including prime minister Gordon Brown and chancellor Alistair Darling - stayed away from the Commons.

'Snouts in the trough'

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Harvey said reforming the expenses system and introducing external audits had been "absolutely vital in beginning what I think will be a very long and difficult process of trying to rebuild public confidence in Parliament and in this system".

"In terms of public perception, the fact that the public's hard-earned money can be used for MPs to buy and then indeed own a plasma television is just a one-way argument in public perception that we were never going to win."

He said that allowing external professional to conduct spot checks on MPs was "absolutely crucial", adding: "MPs are the only people in the country who sign off their own expenses."

Asked about Friday's Daily Mail headline suggesting MPs had voted to "keep their snouts in the trough", Harvey said: "It's very, very hard to see how we are going to tackle that perception because a set of rules to try and bring everything under control was put up and has now been voted down and I think collectively we've got a real headache as a result of the vote yesterday."

Labour MP Peter Kilfoyle, who voted against the reforms, said he had objected to the proposal for outside auditors.

"What I was very concerned about was what was described as 'practice assurance' in which teams of people, at a very great cost in terms of time and money, would be able to trawl through individual MPs' offices," he told Today.

"Why should somebody come around my office and do an effective time and motion study on my staff when I am technically self-employed?"

He added: "I am a trade unionist, have been all my life, and I want the best conditions for MPs as I wanted for the police, as I want for local government workers and everybody else. I make no exception."