MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

British MPs expenses scandal claims first scalps

Mr Morley, MP for Scunthorpe

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has suspended ex-minister Elliot Morley from the Parliamentary Labour Party and an aide to Tory leader David Cameron quit his post as the Westminster expenses scandal claimed its first scalps.

Mr Morley, MP for Scunthorpe, now faces expulsion from Labour ranks if charges that he wrongly claimed £16,000 in allowances for a mortgage already paid off are backed up by Parliamentary Standards Commissioner John Lyon.

The Prime Minister also suspended former fisheries minister Mr Morley from his post as the premier's climate change envoy. “Where standards are transgressed and mistakes are made, we have got to take action” said PM Brown.

”That is why today, we have suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party Elliot Morley because of the allegations, which are serious, which have been made against him.“

Mr Morley claimed £16,000 for interest on a mortgage which had already been paid off. Mr Brown said: ”Where there is irregularity now, it has got to be dealt with immediately.

“Where standards have been transgressed and the evidence has been shown to be there, action has got to be taken. Where disciplinary action is necessary it will, and will immediately, be taken.”

He went on: “If there are any other disciplinary cases where we have to take action, we will take action immediately.

”But I think what people want to see is a system that is reformed, politics seen to be serving the public interest, people recognising that as a country we depend on trust in our political system and trust in the people who actually are in offices of authority and influence, and they have a duty to show that that trust is deserved.“

In the Tory field an MP has resigned as one of David Cameron's closest aides as it emerged the taxpayer had been paying tens of thousands of pounds a year towards both of his homes.

Andrew MacKay - who until Thursday morning was the Conservative Party leader's Parliamentary aide - apologised ”profusely“ after Mr Cameron described the claims as unacceptable.

Meanwhile, fellow Conservative MP Douglas Hogg agreed to repay expenses totalling £2,200 after controversy over claims that he used the money to clear a moat at his country home.

Mr MacKay, who is married to Bromsgrove MP Julie Kirkbride, claimed more than £1,000 a month to cover mortgage interest payments on their joint flat near Westminster. At the same time, Ms Kirkbride used her own second homes allowance to claim more than £900 a month towards the home loan on their family home in Bromsgrove.

Mr MacKay said it had never previously occurred to him there was anything wrong with the arrangement until it was taken up with him by a Conservative audit of claims this week. He said the designation of their homes had been suggested to them by the House of Commons Fees Office. The arrangement had been in place for ”eight or nine years“.

”This was all transparent, it was all approved and frankly until it was drawn to my attention it did not occur to me that it didn't pass the 'reasonableness' test,“ he said. ”I must say when it was drawn to my attention my first reaction was that the right thing to do was to resign my post, which I did very first thing today with David.”