As the row over MPs’ expenses continues to rumble on, Rob Merrick reports on the mood of mounting panic in the Commons
MERSEY MPs are scrambling to hit a new deadline of next Monday to release all their expenses’ receipts, as the deepening scandal claimed its first scalps at Westminster.
All Labour MPs have been told to open up their books within days “as a first step to meeting our constituents’ anger”, but some insisted it would be impossible to do so. But the Daily Post can reveal that Birkenhead MP Frank Field has sent every MP technical advice on how to scan the receipts onto websites – allowing constituents to view them.
Mr Field led the way by publishing one year’s receipts’ yesterday, adding: “It is a five-step process and any MP with any queries can contact my office. My staff say their phones have hardly stopped ringing.”
The ex-minister has blanked out all confidential information, but other MPs fear that computer whizz- kids will find a way of revealing the details – putting them at risk of breaching data protection rules.
Amid mounting chaos, they warned it would take many days to finish “redacting” their receipts, to remove errors and personal details.
Andrew Miller, the Ellesmere Port and Neston MP, said: “I would like to put the receipts out next week, but my bundle of documents had 150 errors in it, so I can’t be certain of meeting the deadline.”
At Westminster, the crisis was growing, as both Labour and the Tories suffered their first casualties after scandals were exposed.
Gordon Brown sacked former environment minister Elliot Morley as his climate change adviser, and suspended him from the Parliamentary party, for claiming £16,000 for a mortgage which had already been paid off.
And Andrew MacKay, a key David Cameron aide, resigned after admitting wrongly claiming second home allowances for “eight or nine years” – possibly totalling £150,000.
On a black day for Parliament, two Labour peers face suspension after being found guilty of misconduct, following accusations they offered to change laws for cash.
A breakdown of every expense claim for four years – totalling 700,000 receipts – was due to be published by the Commons authorities before the middle of July.
