MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Expenses disclosure has turned Commons “unbearable” complains MP

Gordon Brown: He said the House of Commons must be subject to independent regulation, in an indictment of the legacy of outgoing Speaker Michael Martin, who resigned on Tuesday.

Tory leader David Cameron has criticised a Tory backbencher who claimed that MPs were victims of a “McCarthy-style witch-hunt” over their expenses claims. Nadine Dorries, who had warned there were fears that an MP could commit suicide, claimed the situation at Westminster had become “completely unbearable”.

But asked about her comments, Mr Cameron said MPs should be more concerned about what their constituents were thinking.

“Of course MPs are concerned about what is happening but, frankly, MPs ought to be concerned about what their constituents think and ought to be worrying about the people who put us where we are,” he told the BBC.

There was clear anger among the Tory high command at the latest intervention by the outspoken Mid Bedfordshire MP, with one senior source describing her comments as “completely wacky”.

Her remarks came the day after Tory grandee Anthony Steen was forced to issue an apology after claiming that he was the victim of “jealousy” among his Devon constituents who were envious of his large house.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Ms Dorries complained that the relentless flow of disclosures by the Daily Telegraph, which has obtained the details of all MPs' expenses, was taking its toll.

“What the Telegraph are executing is almost a McCarthy-style witch-hunt,” she said.

“I think people are seriously beginning to crack. The last day of parliament this week was, I would say, completely unbearable.

”I have never ever been in an atmosphere or an environment like it, where everyone walks around with terror in their eyes. There is serious concern that this has almost got to the point now which is almost unbearable for any human being to deal with”.