MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

British MPs nervous about plans to “clean up” Parliament expenses excesses

Sir Christopher Kelly “does not live in the real world”, said Tory MP Roger Gale

The man brought in by British Primer Minister Gordon Brown to clean up Parliament does not live in the real world, an MP has said. Sir Christopher Kelly, chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, does not know the hours MPs work or what kind of job they do, said Conservative MP Roger Gale.

According to an apparent leak from Sir Christopher's report, due out next week, any MP with a constituency in “reasonable commuting distance” of Westminster will have to meet their own accommodation costs.

Mr Gale on BBC Breakfast, repeated calls for Sir Christopher to publish his report now it has been leaked saying he could not comment as he did not know what Sir Christopher was recommending.

He added: “I've heard one comment, which I think is absolutely ludicrous, to the effect that apparently somebody living an hour's train ride from London will not be allowed to have a base in London”.

”Now, that doesn't affect me, but it will affect quite a lot of people, and I just don't believe that Kelly lives in the real world, I don't think he knows what kind of hours we work or what kind of job we do. We've tried to tell him, but he doesn't appear to have listened.”

According to a BBC report, Sir Christopher will recommend that MPs should be banned from claiming for their mortgages on expenses. He will apparently recommend that MPs should have to rent if they require a second home.

As has previously been reported, he is also said to be calling for a ban on MPs employing members of their families paid for out of public funds.