Tonight:
5°c
Speaker: MPs who flip homes will be named
Ben Bailey18 Sep 2009
The public will be able to see if their MP has "flipped" their second home when the next set of parliamentary expenses are published, Commons Speaker John Bercow said today.
Mr Bercow said he was confident that new Commons rules would stamp out the problem of MPs switching the designation of the property on which they claim their second homes allowance - one of the most serious abuses identified in the MPs expenses scandal.
Although MPs' addresses would still not be published when details of the 2008-09 expenses were released, he said people would be able to see if they were claiming on properties in London or in their constituencies.
"I think the arrangements we are proposing, where we know whether a member has claimed on a London property or a constituency property, changes will be evident," he told The Daily Telegraph.
"If the media can see a change has taken place, then, of course, questions are legitimately viable.
"I do think it's important in future that we should be capable of telling the media and members of the public if somebody has flipped."
He said that in future, far less information would be blacked out - or redacted - when the expenses are released by the Commons.
"The redaction will be markedly less than on previous occasions. There has been legitimate concern. We've got to have a very narrow and legitimate set of things which are excluded from publication," he said.
Reader views (8)
Not only named; They should have their addresses (however many they might have) published. If they're breaking the law they should cease to have the protection of it.
- Minority Working Person, London/England, 21/09/2009 08:25
Report abuse
Well I know my local MP has been enthusiastically switching and thereby making a fortune on my taxes. And yet what has happened? Absolutely nothing. When you are close to the centre of power in this country you can do anything. Its why I am never going to vote again.
- Fred, Horsham, 18/09/2009 16:05
Report abuse
This is how many months after he shuffled in invisible daya to day expense claims for MP's? Sorry mate, I don't believe a word you say.
- Bob, Cheam, 18/09/2009 11:19
Report abuse
When they publish all accounting affairs to do with the expenditure of our money, with nothing redacted, we will be able to see for ourselves their (dis)honesty.
We will not rely on civil servants to decide what we can see and what should be redacted/censored/hidden.
Politics needs humility, not more arrogance.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 18/09/2009 11:16
Report abuse
If M.P.'s who have flipped their homes are in trouble that must explain why Philip Hammond is doing the Shadow Chancellor's job. Bye Bye George if Cameron has got any guts.
- S Jones, Kennington England, 18/09/2009 09:28
Report abuse
I don't care what Little Johnny Bercow has to say. Just because a load of corrupt pea-brained Labour MPs voted him in to office doesn't mean his opinions and views need to be inflicted on the rest of the country.
- Geraldine P, Chorleywood, UK, 18/09/2009 09:18
Report abuse
If the UK was a true democracy MP's would HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE.
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR, 18/09/2009 09:12
Report abuse
Too little, too late. Why redact at all? It is tax payers money, and when it is such huge sums, they should have the right to be able to see how it is being spent.
- Threaded, Roskilde, Denmark, 18/09/2009 08:47
Report abuse
