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MPs 'give up secret expenses bid' | MPs 'give up secret expenses bid' |
(20 minutes later) | |
MPs have finally abandoned their legal fight to keep secret the details of their expenses. | MPs have finally abandoned their legal fight to keep secret the details of their expenses. |
The Commons Members Estimates Committee says it will not seek leave to appeal against a High Court ruling ordering a detailed breakdown of their claims. | The Commons Members Estimates Committee says it will not seek leave to appeal against a High Court ruling ordering a detailed breakdown of their claims. |
The court ruled that the Information Tribunal acted within its powers when it demanded details of MPs' second home allowances be provided. | The court ruled that the Information Tribunal acted within its powers when it demanded details of MPs' second home allowances be provided. |
The details of 14 MPs, including Gordon Brown, must be released by Friday. | The details of 14 MPs, including Gordon Brown, must be released by Friday. |
Information on the remaining MPs, thought to number around one million individual items, will be published in the autumn, a spokeswoman for the committee said. | |
'John Lewis list' | |
It will also comply with a ruling by the court that MPs' addresses must be published except where there are "specific security concerns", she said. | |
MPs' expenses were criticised when the so-called "John Lewis list" of household items MPs can purchase was published earlier this year. | |
Under their "additional costs allowance" MPs can claim up to £23,000-a-year towards the cost of maintaining a second residence, normally in their constituency. | |
The list includes £10,000 kitchens and £6,000 bathrooms. | |
The original demand for a detailed breakdown of the additional costs allowances of 14 named MPs and former MPs was made under the Freedom of Information Act. | |
Speaker's wife claims 'reasonable' | |
The MPs included Mr Brown, Conservative leader David Cameron and the ex-Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell, among others. | |
The Information Tribunal said the breakdown should be given, but the battle was then taken to the High Court by the Commons Commission. | |
Commons Speaker Michael Martin was himself criticised when it emerged that his wife had claimed £4,139 on taxis - largely for shopping trips. | |
But last week, Parliament's standards chief John Lyon ruled Mary Martin's claims were reasonable. |