MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Criminal charges for MPs who make false allowances claims

PM Brown wants the new legislation approved before recess at the end of July

British Members of Parliament who make false allowances claims could face criminal charges under new measures announced by Commons Leader Harriet Harman. She said the Parliamentary Standards Bill would create new criminal offences as well as establishing an independent body to oversee a reformed system of MPs' pay and perks.

Ms Harman told the Commons that the blacking out of large amounts of information on MPs' published expenses receipts will be “looked at again” ahead of the release of details of the 2008-9 claims.

The Bill will establish a new independent body to administer MPs' pay and allowances with a Commissioner for Parliamentary Investigations to probe alleged breaches of the rules.

It will also create a series of new criminal offences including knowingly providing false or misleading information in a claim for an allowance, which would incur a maximum penalty of 12 months in prison or an unlimited fine.

MPs who fail to register properly their outside interests will face a fine of up to £5,000, as will any MP who breaches the rules on paid lobbying.

PM Gordon Brown said he was determined to ensure the legislation was on the statute book by the time MPs break for their summer recess at the end of July.

But despite broad cross-party support for the legislation both the Tories and the Liberal Democrats expressed concern about elements of the Bill which will, for the first time, place the MPs' Code of Conduct on a statutory footing.

The shadow leader of the House Alan Duncan said a number of MPs had already expressed concern that the rules requiring the declaration of all outside earnings were “unworkable”.

And Liberal Democrat frontbench spokesman David Heath added: “I don't want to be in a position where no Member in this House can visit a factory in their constituency and accept a cup of tea and then come back and say something in this House about the industry or their own constituency”.

In related news the new Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, revealed that he will not claim the parliamentary second home allowance while in the post.

Mr Bercow, who on Monday told MPs he offered a ”clean break“ after the expenses scandals of the past weeks, has claimed more than £20,000 annually over the past four years to cover the cost of staying away from home on parliamentary business.

Mr Bercow began his first full Commons session in the role by ordering MPs and Ministers to avoid long-winded questions and answers. Bercow, who shunned the formal uniform worn by his predecessors and took to the Chair in a smart suit and simple gown, said he was determined to make ”good progress“ through the list of questions.

On Monday, Mr Bercow saw off nine rivals to claim the Speaker's chair in a secret ballot of MPs. He was ”dragged“ to the chair after seeing off his main rival Sir George Young by a margin of 322 MPs to 271 in the third round of voting.

His victory was greeted with dismay by some on the Conservative benches, who regard him as close to a turncoat because of his political journey away from the right towards New Labour, culminating with him accepting a job from Gordon Brown last year.

Mid-Bedfordshire MP Nadine Dorries said she believed no more than three Tories voted for Mr Bercow and described his election as a ”vindictive“ act by Labour MPs who were delivering ”a two-fingered salute” to voters and to a future Government led by David Cameron.

Reports suggest some Conservatives want to see a challenge to Mr Bercow at the time of the next general election, when a large turnover of MPs is expected to see a very different House of Commons in place.