Yet Another Political Scandal Rocks Britain
May 18th, 2009 • Posted in: NewsLeaked details of parliamentarians’ expenses show they’ve been taking taxpayer money for non-existent mortgage expenses, chandeliers, and even moat-cleaning on their country estates
LONDON
While Britain has endured several political-ethics scandals in recent years, few have sparked the outrage of what’s been dubbed the “expenses scandal.”
According to the Associated Press’s London bureau chief Paisley Dodds, few of those prior scandals “tarnished all three of the country’s main political parties in a single stroke.”
“Leaked lawmaker expenses for chandeliers, pornography, moat upkeep on country estates, and other claims,” Dodds writes, “have enraged voters — many of whom have lost jobs and homes during Britain’s deepening recession.”
“Talk show lines buzzed Friday with irate callers. Websites flashed reader comments comparing politicians to greedy bankers. And commuters clenched newspapers with such headlines as: ‘Parliament’s Darkest Day’ and ‘House of Ill Repute.’ Many politicians were being heckled during events that had been scheduled long before the leak.”
The furor comes after records of parliamentarians’ expenses were leaked to the press. So far, two MPs have been suspended, according to Reuters. One of the suspended lawmakers was alleged to have taken $20,000 in compensation for a mortgage he already had paid off.
Scotland Yard is now looking into whether criminal charges are to be filed in any of the cases, reports the Times of London.
Sources: AP, May 16 — Reuters, May 16 — Times of London, May 16 — BBC, May 15.
For more information, see: Related Newsline story, Feb. 2 — Related Newsline story, Sep. 29, 2008 — Related Newsline story, Aug. 4, 2008 — Related Newsline story, July 23, 2007 — Related Newsline story, May 14, 2007.
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