Expenses reform?
Will the weather scupper the attempt to reform MPs' expenses? A number of MPs left the Commons early to return to their constituencies before the snow closed the roads and railways...
As I write, , is on his feet in the Commons, moving his motion calling for the expenses watchdog, IPSA, to change its ways.
The chamber has filled up a bit after a near-empty House voted through some changes to the system for complaints against MPs. Suddenly heavy metal backbenchers like , , , and have appeared, chortling and murmuring supportive hear hears. Mr Afriyie is "doughnutted" by , chairman of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee, and , secretary of the '22. From across the Chamber, the chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party, , beams benignly. My point is that some months of patient diplomacy have secured real backbench backing for Mr Afriyie.
And his scheme is a cunning one. If IPSA does not come up with proposals to cuts its costs and simplify its workings to come into operation in April, the Commons will act, and the Leader of the House will be instructed to find debating time for legislation to amend the Parliamentary Standards Act. In practice this means that Statutory Instruments would have to be laid before Parliament shortly after Christmas, at the latest. So if this motion is passed, the clock will be ticking.
Mr Afriyie, a millionaire, has never needed to claim expenses. And he insists that his proposals for change would cut costs for the taxpayer. An early sign that his support has been noticed by the government could come tomorrow. His Parliamentary Standards Amendment Bill is on the agenda for the Commons tomorrow (Friday). It is far enough down the agenda that it is unlikely to be debated, but if the whips decide not to shout "object" when the list of undebated business is read out at the close of the main business at 2.30pm, it would be sent forward to its committee stage, and so take its first step towards the statute book.
Anti-IPSA MPs (and I'm not sure there is any other kind) claim they now have the backing of "very senior" government figures. We shall see.
I'm Mark D'Arcy and I'll be writing about what goes on in the chambers and committee rooms at Westminster.
Comments
or to comment.