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The expenses vote is an own-goal for parliament

By John Hirst

The expenses vote is an own-goal for parliament

MPs may have voted against vital reforms to their expenses regime because of the small print. They will live to regret it

The decision by MPs to throw out controversial reforms for second home allowances will go down as one of the biggest own goals by parliament. If MPs think the public are going to be sympathetic to the case for cash for pergolas, kitchens and plasma screen TVs in their London homes, they do not live in the real world.

By ditching a radical reform of the allowances which brought MPs into the 21st century, they have given up their last chance to regulate themselves. Nobody in any company in the country can justify claiming £400 a month on food without a receipt or even up to £25 on anything, whenever they want, again without receipts.

What will happen ? as clear as day follows night ? is that the independent watchdog, the committee on standards in public life, headed by Chris Kelly, will anounce its own inquiry ? saying MPs cannot be trusted to run their own affairs.

Full post as published by prisonlawinsideout on July 05, 2008 (boomark / email).