MPs' expenses: Minister resigns
- 00:02:34
- ITN
MPs' expenses: Minister resigns
Shahid Malik is stepping down as Justice Minister after Gordon Brown ordered an urgent inquiry into his expenses claims. The Prime Minister asked his independent adviser on ministerial interests, Sir Philip Mawer, to investigate the claims which should take a matter of days. Mr Brown's spokesman stressed the expectation would be that Mr Malik would return to office if he was cleared and said no replacement was being appointed in the meantime. But Mr Malik insisted he had done nothing wrong and said he looked forward to returning as a minister "with my head held high". It comes after Mr Malik branded reports that he claimed tens of thousands of pounds on his second home in London while renting his constituency home in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, for less than £100 a week as a "non story". On Thursday, a Conservative MP resigned as an aide to leader David Cameron and a Labour backbencher was sacked from the parliamentary party over their expenses claims. Cabinet member Clare Short has joined Mr Malik in becoming the latest MPs to be embroiled in the parliamentary expenses scandal. She was paid £8,000 too much after claiming for her full mortgage payments despite only being entitled to the interest, it was revealed. There were also revelations about a number of MP couples, including Cabinet colleagues Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper who reportedly "flipped" their second home to three different properties within two years. And Ann and Alan Keen, who have allegedly claimed almost £40,000 a year on a central London flat less than ten miles from their family home. The details were published amid mounting pressure for police action against the worst alleged abuses. One opinion poll shows Labour has slumped to its lowest rating of 22 per cent, handing the Conservatives a landslide victory if translated into votes at the next General Election, Mr Malik's claims for his second home in Peckham, south London, amounted to £66,827 over three years, the highest figure for any MP, according to the Telegraph. They were said to include £2,600 for a home cinema system - which was cut in half by the Commons Fees Office - £730 for a "massage chair", and £65 for a court summons for the non-payment of council tax. The Telegraph said that his landlord, local businessman and landlord Tahir Zaman, confirmed that he was paying well below the market rent for his Dewsbury address. Mr Malik insists he acted within the rules and denied that his job was on the line and declined to discuss the claim that he was renting a house in Dewsbury at below market value, saying: "That is my private business." He added: "I spend half the week in Dewsbury and half the week in London and claim on my second home in London. I have not broken any rules." Later he added: "I think this is a bit of a non-story to be honest. This isn't £16,000 I've had to pay back, it's not £8,000 extras I've claimed, its not that I've claimed as a couple for an extra house - none of that nonsense." Ms Short - who now sits as an independent, having quit the Government in 2003 over the Iraq war - was said to have claimed the full cost of her mortgage for two and a half years despite being entitled to charge only for the interest. She paid back the money after the error was pointed out by the Commons Fees Office in 2006, but only after complaining that they should have spotted the mistake earlier. The MP for Birmingham Ladywood said that it had been an "honest mistake" made when she switched from an interest-only to a repayment mortgage on her constituency home after she left the Government. On Thursday, former environment minister Elliot Morley was suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party after it was revealed he claimed £16,000 of taxpayers' money for a non-existent mortgage. And Tory backbencher Andrew MacKay resigned as an aide to Tory leader David Cameron after confirming he claimed for a second home allowance while his wife, Tory MP Julie Kirkbride, claimed it for another property. A former police chief whose zero-tolerance approach has demanded a criminal investigation into MPs' expenses. Ray Mallon, the directly-elected mayor of Middlesbrough, believes there is enough evidence for MPs to be investigated for potential breach of the Theft Act or for other crimes, such as false accounting. London mayor Boris Johnson, who is chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority, said there could be grounds for bringing police in to investigate some claims. Campaign group the TaxPayers' Alliance has submitted a formal complaint to police over Mr Morley's expenses and warned it would consider a private prosecution if the authorities failed to bring him to court. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "We have received and are currently considering a number of complaints in relation to alleged misuse of expenses, but no decision has been taken on whether to investigate."
ITN | May 15, 2009
