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| MPs told to declare family staff | |
| (9 minutes later) | |
| Prime Minister Gordon Brown is to ask all Labour MPs to declare whether they employ family members, following an earlier move by the Conservatives. | |
| Tory leader David Cameron said he wanted his frontbench team to name all relatives working for them by 1 April. | |
| The Liberal Democrats are also looking at arrangements. | The Liberal Democrats are also looking at arrangements. |
| The changes come after Conservative MP Derek Conway was suspended from the Commons for overpaying his son Freddie for working as a researcher. | The changes come after Conservative MP Derek Conway was suspended from the Commons for overpaying his son Freddie for working as a researcher. |
| 'Doing the job' | |
| Mr Brown made clear he expected such "transparency" in a meeting with Chief Whip Geoff Hoon on Thursday, his spokesman said. | |
| He added: "But the important thing is not just that the staff are registered and identified appropriately but that they are doing the job for which they are funded by the taxpayer. | |
| "That's what Mr Cameron and his party have previously failed to recognise." | |
| Mr Brown is expected to meet Labour's parliamentary committee on Wednesday to discuss how to make MPs' spending more open. | |
| What needs to happen more broadly is a change of culture at Westminster David Cameron | What needs to happen more broadly is a change of culture at Westminster David Cameron |
| Earlier, Mr Cameron said: "I think there's a need for greater transparency or openness when it comes to MPs' pay and staff and expenses and allowances. | |
| "As a first step I will be asking my front bench colleagues from April this year to register, in the members' register of interests, whether they do employ any family. | |
| "It would be a good first step. We want to show that MPs do work hard for their constituents and make good use of money." | "It would be a good first step. We want to show that MPs do work hard for their constituents and make good use of money." |
| Mr Cameron revealed that "just over" 70 - out of a total of 193 - Tory MPs employed family members. He said the figure had come from a "ring-round" of most the party's MPs. | |
| Mr Conway, MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, has already been censured for overpaying Freddie's parliamentary allowances and has apologised to MPs. | Mr Conway, MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup, has already been censured for overpaying Freddie's parliamentary allowances and has apologised to MPs. |
| He has had his party's whip withdrawn and says he will not fight the next election. | He has had his party's whip withdrawn and says he will not fight the next election. |
| MPs voted on Thursday to suspend Mr Conway for 10 days and ordered him to return £13,161 of the money. | MPs voted on Thursday to suspend Mr Conway for 10 days and ordered him to return £13,161 of the money. |
| At the moment there are no rules against employing relatives paid for out of an MPs' allowances, and there is no requirement for any such link to be declared. | At the moment there are no rules against employing relatives paid for out of an MPs' allowances, and there is no requirement for any such link to be declared. |