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A clear divide is opening between Gordon Brown and David Cameron on whether Sir Christopher Kelly's sweeping reforms on expenses should be watered down.
The Prime Minister, under huge pressure from angry backbenchers, sent a comforting signal to critics of the Kelly proposals by warning that changes must not make Parliament the preserve of the rich.
Mr Brown was in talks with Sir Christopher this morning ahead of Wednesday's report. It will axe claims for mortgage interest and ban MPs from employing family members at public expense.
However, the Kelly report has already gone to the printers, which means Mr Brown's comments come too late to influence its contents. Instead, they seemed more designed to placate backbenchers who are demanding that some of the proposals be blocked.
A source close to Mr Cameron said that he was against watering down the Kelly reforms "unless his report turned out to cost a great deal of extra public money or unless his proposals were completely bonkers". Mr Cameron will take a final position on the proposals after they have been published.
Suspicions the Government is willing to dilute the reforms have grown after ministers told MPs the package will be sent to a new Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. Ministers have told MPs their concerns, including curbs on second homes and employment of wives, will be reconsidered.
The overseeing committee of IPSA is itself overseen by a committee of senior MPs, putting a question over its independence. These MPs include Doug Touhig, a Labour MP who employs his wife and led successful attempts to thwart reforms of the system last year.
A senior insider also pointed out that IPSA would not be ready to carry out its work until well into next year. He said: "It will be New Year before IPSA is established and April before it is up and running. You may well see these proposals go into the long grass until after the general election." This would remove some of the greatest pressure for wholehearted reforms of the system, possibly emboldening MPs to take a stand.
A Downing Street source said Mr Brown would tell Sir Christopher that "ordinary people with families must always be able to become MPs". "He feels MPs have been let down by a bad system and some bad apples," the source said.
Reader views (22)
Keith Price - Brown - trusted? Mutually exclusive in my opinion.
- Ramalamadingdong, Broxbourne
the whole saga is becoming a circus, it should be a tv series.
- Fodil, london
Hang on a minute Keith, it was Labour that promised us a referendum that we still have not been given. Cameron,"
So your simply saying that Cameron is no better than Brown. Hardly a recommendation to vote Tory then, dont you think ? I prefer the trusted, experienced PM to the untrusted, inexperienced, largely unknown, wealthy bourgeois that is Ddavid Cameron.
- Keith Price, Luton England
Only Gordon Brown, anxious as ever to appease his own, could dream of attempting to bully Sir Christopher - and that is what he is trying to do. The notion that "ordinary" people would be put off becoming MPs, with a salary of £63k plus some reasonable expenses as the Kelly review appears to be suggesting, is framkly ludicrous. Nor is the package likely to attract the rich unless they have a leaning for the political life.
- James Elliott, Eastbourne UK
How dare he say the Kelly report could be watered down? If they disagree with it then stand down now. The electorate will decide the fate of these crooks at the next election. This has been the most corrupt government in living memory.
- R.F.York, Yorks, UK
Hang on a minute Keith, it was Labour that promised us a referendum that we still have not been given. Cameron, like it or not has been at the forefront of making Tory MP`s pay back their claims so I would trust him more than I would Brown and his famously broken moral compass. This is not the Tory spin machine either - the quotes sources are Labour Ministers and as the Govt in power surely Labour should be taking the lead. Lets be honest - the Tories can scent victory so will be more likely to tow the line, Labour MP`s know they might as well get as much as they can out of the system before they are booted out.
- Nickspurs, London, London
Nickspurs, London, you couldn't be more right - well said. However, unfortunately, he's taken us all for fools before and he's about to take for fools again. Why on earth can't he just go go go. I can't wait to see the back of this self-serving, nation-bankrupting, fiscally profligate, Labour Champagne socialist.
- Dominique Marion, london
We've paid KPMG millions to produce one report; Kelly is now spending a few million more to digest that and produce another one.
When are MPs going to accept that they are no more special than the thousands of people who travel for business every week and give up their plasma tellies and subsidised housing?
- Hotel or rented flats reimbursed at cost (less than £100 per night)
- Meals reimbursed at cost, limited to £50 per day
- No claims for those living within 50 miles of Westminster
- Travel to be via cheapest option from constituency, not a phantom home
- Porn and bath plugs not allowable
There, that didn't take £6m to work out, did it?
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one
I know defending an MP is about the least popular thing possible now - but it is a valid point that Parliament must not, as was the case in the not-too-distant past, become the preserve of the independently wealthy.
- Liam, London
Serving the People as an MP is not supposed to be a career. It’s about giving back, serving a community, but above all it is about being lent the authority make decisions on our behalf by the electorate.
So being paid by the People twice as much as the average wage of those self same People is not a hardship.
- Ian B, Reading, England
David Cameron is poised to abandon his party’s commitment to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty if it is ratified later this year. He also stands to make £500,000 profit out of his plan to cut inheritance tax for the rich, it was revealed last night. So why should we believe him when he says he opposes watering down the Kelly reforms. Personally, I just don't trust the man
- Keith Price, Luton England
Brown had better go to an Ecclesiastical Chandler.
His moral compass swings every which way but true.
- Macdangler, Wimbledon SW19
Why is it everything Gordon touches goes wrong? What is the matter with him? Another classic case of dithering. If he never intended to implement all of the Kelly in the first place then why on earth did he make such a public show of it. He is such a weak leader and has made so many u turns recently he is making himself look like a complete and utter chump. Harriet`s promise to look after MPs wives at the weekend shows just how weak he really is. A totally disloyal and such an obvious move by her for the forthcoming leadership battle; but being so openly critical of Brown`s previous intention to accept the Kelly report lock stock and barrel only goes to show how wounded he is. If Brown waters down the report in anyway he will gift Cameron, who has led the way on MPs expenses reforms, an open goal.
- Brian G, Norfolk Gorleston
What a load of rubbish. Harriet Harman said yesterday that MPs will not have a vote on Sir Christopher Kelly's recommendations. They will be passed to the Independent Parliametary Standards Authority who will make the final decisions. The outcome may be that the terms will be more tough not less. MPs have absolutely no say in the outcome at all. This is pure spin by the Conservatives as usual.
- Val Daniels, Mijas Costa, Spain
Gosh - what a surprise - this one will run and run and end up in the courts.
Also Brown has an election and this will feature large. Duck out on this and Labour could easily come 3rd.
- Very Very Angry At Paying Tax For Mp'S Expeses, Home Counties
The new Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority goes under the acronym IPSA. In Latin, this means "Themselves". Very apt, don't you think?
- David, Geneva, Switzerland
If earning around £65.000 + other perks thrown in would stop "ordinary people" from applying to be MPs,then what would you call "us" the majority of the population who earn less than £65.000? Proles,serfs,idiots for putting up with this lot,a labour leadership that has no idea of what work i.e. labour means.Just how many of them have had a real job?How many of them have worked in a factory on an assembly line?How many have had to work long shifts at night?Had to mend cables in extreme weather conditions ...I could go on and on.Let me tell you Brown we would not want to be like you a real hypocrite to your class.
- Maddy, Gedney Drove End UK
It's very easy - any MP voting to amend/reject the report is either not allowed to be put forward for election next year or the voters ensure that these MPs don't receive their votes.
- Andy, london
As corrupt as the day is long!
- Phil Jones, London UK
More time wasting by a spineless unelected PM.
- Dannyp, Egham
Another change of heart from the leader of NU-Turn Labour.
- Doug Watt, london e14
Bottler Brown does it again, have we ever had a more spineless, incompetent PM. Does he really think that we are stupid enough to believe he wants this kicked into the long grass as it could stop ordinary people from becoming MP`s, as opposed to placating his back benchers....
- Nickspurs, London
