MPs mortgage claims under scrutiny
A number of MPs will this week be receiving further correspondence from the Parliamentary auditor Sir Thomas Legg with regards to mortgage claims, both recent and in the past. It would appear that a number of claims were put through by the expenses office without due correspondence and evidence held on file which has caused controversy and a need to clarify the situation.
There are now serious concerns that a number of MPs may well be left significantly short of funds and indeed a number could be looking at bankruptcy if they are forced to pay back expenses which for some will run into the tens of thousands of pounds. There is no doubt that the MP's expenses system has "run out of control" over the last few years but the fact that MPs attempted to shield their expenses from the public has added further fuel to the fire.
Any initial sympathy for some MPs caught up in the expenses scandal has disappeared with news of a fresh attempt at legal action as the fight to reclaim "illegal" expenses goes on. The bizarre fact is that any legal action taken by MPs will ultimately be funded by the taxpayer who will be fighting on both sides of the court.
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