Don't let Commons become rich man's club, PM warns expenses watchdog

Published on Monday 2 November 2009 21:02

PRIME Minister Gordon Brown has met the man charged with reforming MPs' expenses, two days before his eagerly anticipated recommendations are published.

It is understood Mr Brown urged Sir Christopher Kelly to ensure the shake-up of expenses did not make parliament the preserve of the rich, though his spokesman refused to comment yesterday on the details of their discussions.

The Kelly Report will be unveiled in an oral statement to MPs by Leader of the Commons Harriet Harman tomorrow and will then be implemented by the new Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA).

No Commons vote will be required to approve the report, but the IPSA will have to consult on Sir Christopher's findings and may be able to "shape" his recommendations in the process of implementing them, the spokesman said.

The IPSA has been legally established but still has no chairman or board, and Mr Brown's spokesman was unable to say when it would be in a position to begin its work, though he said it was "a matter of urgency".

He confirmed members would be selected through the normal process of open competition used for all public appointments, and would have to be ratified by the Speaker's committee – chaired by Speaker John Bercow and made up of senior MPs – before taking up their posts.

Mr Brown's meeting with Sir Christopher, chairman of the committee on standards in public life which has been reviewing MPs' pay and perks, was described as a "routine briefing". Tory leader David Cameron and the Liberal Democrats' Nick Clegg held similar talks with Sir Christopher last week.

In advance of the meeting, a Downing Street source said Mr Brown would say that "ordinary people with families must always be able to become MPs".

The source went on: "The vast majority of MPs work extremely hard – as he has said previously, most MPs are in it for what they can give, not for what they can get. He feels MPs have been let down by a bad system and some bad apples."

Mr Brown's spokesman said: "The Prime Minister's over- riding objective is to see the end of an old, discredited system. He is very much looking forward to welcoming the Kelly review.

"The Prime Minister has been very clear he set three objectives for the Kelly committee: to deliver increased transparency, accountability and reduced cost for the taxpayer.

"Clearly, the Prime Minister believes the vast majority of MPs are committed to public service. He doesn't want to see the House of Commons reserved for rich people, and he has been very public on that."

Sir Christopher is expected to call for a ban on MPs employing family members or using taxpayers' cash to invest in the property market.

Ms Harman weighed in yesterday, however, to insist MPs should not be forced to sack husbands or wives already in their employment. She said if that recommendation was adopted by the IPSA, it would not be fair.

She also stressed MPs must have the resources to split their time effectively between their constituencies and Westminster. "No-one wants to get back to a situation where MPs were sent to Westminster and said to their constituents, 'See you again in five years'," she said.