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Ex-minister Morley set to be 13th victim of expenses scandal
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor29 May 2009
Former minister Elliot Morley is set to become the 13th MP to stand down in the wake of the expenses scandal.
Mr Morley, who claimed £16,000 for a mortgage that didn't exist, is meeting his constituency Labour party tonight and is expected to be advised to step aside at the next election.
The MP is already suspended and is undergoing a probe by the party's “star chamber” into why he continued claiming public funds for 18 months after paying off his home loan.
The former environment minister would be the fifth Labour MP to announce their retirement since the expenses affair broke. Eight Tories have said they will quit.
Labour was today struggling with a rash of new controversies:
Former Labour deputy leader Roy Hattersley called for Hazel Blears to be sacked from the Cabinet for failing to pay capital gains tax, saying: “It's inconsistent to be a member of the Labour Cabinet if you consciously try to avoid paying taxes.”
Work and Pensions minister Tony McNulty revealed he has repaid more than £3,000 of taxpayers' money wrongly claimed on his expenses.
Commons Leader Harriet Harman was exposed as a key opponent of the publication of MPs' expenses and accused of refusing to reform the allowance system last year.
Former MP Jane Griffiths said that Labour whips ordered her to claim £250 a month for travel allowance even though she told them she didn't need it.
In an ominous warning for Mr Morley, Ms Harman today told BBC Breakfast that it was not enough to be seen to meet the rules and stressed that an MP's “judgment” was the quality that the voters would look at closest.
Ms Harman also admitted on Radio 4's The Report programme that she had advised the Speaker to fight in the courts against freedom of information campaigners' requests to publish MPs expenses in detail.
This battle led to Parliament being forced to compile details of expenses for the past four years, leaks of which have fuelled the crisis.
Ms Harman said: “It was important that we had an authoritative ruling but also that we were absolutely clear that we were protecting personal addresses.”
Gordon Brown has described some of the claims by his MPs as “unacceptable” and has served notice that anyone found wanting will not be allowed to stand as a Labour candidate.
Mr Morley insists he can clear his name, but he would face a bruising fight at the general election. He also faces huge pressure to quit after Labour MP Margaret Moran announced she was standing down.
In a fresh sign of the panic in Labour ranks, it was claimed today that at least 52 MPs have approached Downing Street for peerages after the next election.
Reader views (32)
Colin Bristol, A wee peek at the expenses and use of public money allocated to the Association of Chief Police Officers' might answer you question.
- Wills, Soton, 30/05/2009 11:35
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After watching question time, all i can say is give 100 Daniel Hannan's than the 600 plus thieves we currently donate billions towards.
Daniel a man of principle
- Graham, Cornwall, 29/05/2009 21:15
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Who was it said "Go Now in the name of God go
I think the reason they are not at this moment in cells is because the individual Chief Constables are in the same funny handshake clubs as they are.
Also I am of the opinion that the editor of the Telegraph should keep one eye over his shoulder !!
- Pat, somerset England, 29/05/2009 16:41
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Morley is NOT a "victim". Morley is a "Perpetrator".
(Check it out in your dictionary)
- Frank, Bristol UK, 29/05/2009 16:27
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Morley is not a victim; he is a thieving wretch who we are led to believe is under police investigation. It is important for the press to distinguish between victim and criminal, at the very least.
- Susan Galea, zebbug malta, 29/05/2009 16:10
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Excellent comments Paul - and to think we didn't even vote this Prime Minister or indeed have a referendum on the European money-drain either! But that's democracy I guess - I think - er, maybe it isn't!!
- Bill, Halford, Warwickshire, 29/05/2009 14:10
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Labour's "star chamber" probe has very little creditability since the hearings are held in secret and appear to be just an extension of the vast lawyer's fees paid by the Speaker to deny the public's access to information about MP's expenses.
These Labour idiots still don't get it.
- Bingham Macnamara, lymington, hampshire, 29/05/2009 13:18
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I would quarrel with the headline that "Morley is a victim of the scandal".He is perceived as a thief and we should be delighted that he has been caught ,impatient that he is not charged and furious that he is till receiving his salary.He can not be regarded as a victim...that was the tone of Kirkbride's working mother bleat yesterday .
- P Doff, audierne france, 29/05/2009 12:58
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Most of us feel like we are screaming at a brick wall. We want these self righteous arrogant MPs to go, and to go now. “16,000 for a mortgage that didn't exist” that’s basic fraud. I don’t want a criminal representing me.
This of course is nothing compared to what the Euro MEPs get away with… First Class Travel, to which they legally can fly by standard class and then pocket the difference! Up to £40,000 a year for family members working for them… £261 in there pocket just for going to work in the first place (that’s a day!). On top of that a £3,800-a-month office allowance! That’s a lot of note pads! No wonder the EU cost us all £40 million a day! You would think the very least this lot would do is put the UK’s working hours on line with the rest of Europe.
- Paul, London, 29/05/2009 12:57
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Stand down??? If anyone else had done this they would (and should) be jailed. As an MP and former minister he should be setting an example - and be punished accordingly.
- Jeremy E, Home Counties, 29/05/2009 12:52
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WE, the public, have THEM on the run- for now! But WE need to continue asking questions of how the powerful vested interests that are our MPs are already positioning themselves, families and friends to benefit from the the Olympic funding formulae in 3 years time. Remember that much of the 'questionable' expenses relate to claims over the PAST 5 years. Let, we the public, start building our own tools to anticipate and surface similar 'questionable claims' over the next 3 years!
- Ed, London, UK, 29/05/2009 12:16
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Michael London,I suggest the Police,or the CPS,will have little investigating to do,those involved have already admitted their guilt.
- Colin, Bristol, 29/05/2009 12:10
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If this was a case of benefit fraud they'd already be on remand! As they a the 'great & good' (or the gross & greedy) they'll get away with it.
However, am I alone though in wondering what kind of cretins work in the fees office? At the end of the day, they are the ones who are allowing MPs to take the proverbial by approving expenses claims (legitimate or otherwise). Perhaps the media could look into that?
- Ian, Cambridge, 29/05/2009 12:02
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Maybe we should start by sacking the lot of them.
- Shallotman, Basildon, 29/05/2009 11:59
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I can't understand why ANY of these dishonest, greedy people are still MPs and some of them still clinging on to their Cabinet jobs. Brown would regain a little bit of respect if he got rid of them immediately. God help us all - we are at the moment 'governed' by a totally corrupt bunch of self-servers, who care nothing for us but only for enriching themselves.
- Gabrielle, London, 29/05/2009 11:41
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What makes me extremely mad, even madder than I am already, is why are MPs allowed to claim for food! We all have to eat, but why does the taxpayer foot the bill for their weekly shop. They really have been getting away with murder and treating Joe Public with utter contempt as if we haven't got a brain cell between us. I bet lot of people are now thinking that Guy Fawkes had the right idea.
- Sue, Orpington, Kent, 29/05/2009 11:36
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Harriet Harman, I am afraid, no one will trust. She is the one who preached something and when it came to her own children, sent them to fee paying schools. One rule for everyone, but another for her family. Not wanting to reveal MPs addresses was clearly an attempt to prevent all the nonsense on second homes coming out. When MPs claim a second home allowance for 'official' reasons where is the question of secrecy. But for Telegraph, details of the MPs expense would have come out in July neatly sanitised. Harriet Harmon should be the first one to go. She like other MPs simply wanted one rule for everyone but another for the MPs as regards expenses as well
- Nat, New Malden, 29/05/2009 11:32
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I just cannot understand why Mr Morley has not already resigned. He has clearly broken the rules and abused the system for his own personal gain. If Gordon Brown had any leadership qualities he would have told Mr Morley to leave the New Labour Party immediately. Also, why have no arrests for fraud been made?
- Simon Ellis, London NW2, 29/05/2009 11:25
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"it was not criminal because he cleared it with the fees office."
And this is why this is a much more complex case than many would like to believe. Clearly, claiming interest on a paid-off mortgage is absolutely outrageous - but was this a fraudulent decision by Morley acting on his own, or was the Fees Office effectively an accomplice?
There's no point throwing the book at a single individual if it means you miss out on the spoils of a much wider investigation, which is almost certainly why no-one has been charged yet.
But I'd be very, very surprised if such charges aren't brought at some point between now and the next election, as I doubt very much the famous "court of public opinion" would stand for the alternative.
- Michael, London, 29/05/2009 11:12
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I want to see legal against some of the MP mortgage fraudsters. From both parties. There is no justification for an election, when both leading parties are in the frame.
- Martin H. Watson, Teddington, 29/05/2009 11:04
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shame, as mr Morley is a decent man, hes made a very very stupid mistake and is quite rightly resigning with honour
- Jack, london, 29/05/2009 10:49
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Why,Why Why have these crooked MPs been charged with theft as anyone of us would have been? Standing down is hardly a punishment as lord knows how many £thousands they have got away with over the years. Until one of them is charged,convicted and given a time in prison then I and no doubt many others will simply feel that as usual failed CEOs and crooked MPs are still be rewarded for failure and theft.
- Mike, London England, 29/05/2009 10:47
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it was not criminal because he cleared it with the fees office. It was clearly bad judgement and for that reason stepping down was the right decision. However if he had wanted to milk the public purse, he would have kept the mortgage and claimed the interest (even if he had sufficient personal wealth to not require the loan). This was tha papproach taken by most MP's including Mr Cameron..
- Martin_Clerkenwell, london, 29/05/2009 10:39
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Just publish all MP'S Expenses in each local newspaper call an emergency election asap and get the whole thing over with because this continual drip feed of expenses scandals is doing this country no good !
- Wayne, Herts, Uk, 29/05/2009 10:32
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Do these fraudsters REALLY believe that saying that they will stand down at the next election will put an end to the matter? The general public in the UK are now at an anger level that is the highest that it has EVER been, and quite frankly don't give a hoot about the next election. What they understandably want is for every penny of these ill gotten gains to be repayed and for those that committed this mass deception to be charged, tried and if found guilty, sacked. The public are probably not a bit concerned as to whether they receive a custodial sentence or not.
Fraud is fraud and it doesn't matter a damn whether you are not declaring fifty pounds on your tax return or manipulating what must surely be collectively nearing a miilion pound by now from the taxpayers themselves. I thought that here in Cyprus there was a degree of corruption amongst politicians, but it's not on a scale with the UK.
- Chris, Cyprus, 29/05/2009 10:26
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Michael, if you did the same they would just arrest you then bail you to appear at a later date while they investigate. The police are not acting as the would had an ordinary civilian committed the same crime. Lets not forget the polices boss the home secretary is one of the worse offenders currently shivering in a corner hoping this will go away, according to her expense claims her family home for her family is backroom bedroom of her sisters house. I think the police are highly compromised.
- Gary, brentwood, 29/05/2009 10:19
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Notice they are all standing down at the next election; knowing they will not be elected anyway?
Notice they will all get their £100,000 plus once their term of office is over, which they would not get if they resigned or were sacked now?
Notice not one has been charged or questioned by the Police or the Fraud Squad?
Notice them Squirm and snivel that they have done nothing wrong?
You can be instantly charged and fined for dropping a cigarette end; but not for defrauding the Nations Tax Payers?
Where is the Great Metropolitan Police Force when there are no demonstrations or strikers to batter?
Do we have a Nation divided by the rule of law; or united by the rule of law; you cannot have both.
What is good for the Goose is good for the Gander; or it should be; if all things were really equal; which is being proved to be totally unequal today.
Get out now you crooks, or forever live with your shame.
- Mickyinlondon, london, 29/05/2009 10:19
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WHERE ARE THE POLICE?
WHERE ARE THE HANDCUFFS?
ONE LAW FOR JOE PUBLIC AND A DIFFERENT LAW FOR MP's.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe UK, 29/05/2009 10:09
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"Please can someone explain why this MP,and other's, who claimed for a non existant mortgage are not being prosecuted for fraud?"
Who says they won't be? But the police and the CPS have only just started their investigations, and need to build a watertight case for every situation where abuse over and above the notorious "rules" seems to have occurred.
Wouldn't you agree that absolutely the last thing we want is for the case to go to trial and end in an acquittal because things were rushed?
- Michael, London, 29/05/2009 10:03
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er, victim. erm victim? No, it's us the taxpayer that are the victims, not these greedy self-righteous pigs.
- Nick, London, 29/05/2009 09:33
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£16,000 for a mortgage that didn't exist, he is a criminal<full stop> Why is he not sitting in a cell now? Thats right the police are following different rules.
Perhaps we should make a citizens arrest
- Ge, Kernow, 29/05/2009 09:25
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Please can someone explain why this MP,and other's, who claimed for a non existant mortgage are not being prosecuted for fraud?
- Colin, Bristol, 29/05/2009 09:25
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