New Speaker demands tightening of expenses rules
As we covered in an earlier post, there is growing disgust at the UK Parliamentary system with rumours of unrest amongst MPs who stand to have their expenses system curtailed. John Bercow, the new Commons Speaker, has warned MPs that it would be a "catastrophic mistake" to water down the recommendations from Sir Christopher Kelly at a time when the UK public is looking for closure on the issue rather than more controversy.
Sir Ian Kennedy, the chairman of the independent Parliamentary standards authority, has also come under attack as he is under pressure from MPs to dismiss many of the proposals from Sir Christopher Kelly. Indeed, weekend press comment suggested that Sir Ian Kennedy was actually on the brink of resigning his role due to the extreme pressure on his public and his private life. It seems that some MPs are prepared to do whatever it takes to retain their expenses system and increase their income.
While there is no legal obligation for the UK government or the Parliamentary authorities to take on board any of Sir Christopher Kelly's suggestions, there is a feeling that if they are tampered with any further there will be a serious backlash against the likes of Labour and the Conservative party at the next general election.
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