MP trio's 'golden goodbyes' axed

Published on Monday 8 February 2010 20:49

THE "golden goodbye" payments for the three Labour MPs facing criminal charges over their expenses will be suspended until legal proceedings are over, House of Commons Speaker John Bercow said last night.

Jim Devine, Elliot Morley and David Chaytor would have been entitled to resettlement grants on stepping down from the Commons at the general election, it emerged at the weekend. All three deny allegations of false accounting, and have pledged to defend themselves "robustly".

But Mr Bercow last night wrote to the Clerk of the House, Malcolm Jack, telling him to "suspend any payments which would otherwise be due and attributable to the resettlement grant in any case where criminal proceedings are brought in relation to any claim for expenses until the criminal proceedings have been finally disposed of".

MPs are entitled to payoffs of up to 65,000 when they leave parliament at an election, depending on their age and length of service.

Under new rules expected to be passed in the next few days, members who refuse to hand over money demanded by Sir Thomas Legg's audit of expenses from 2004-8 will face having the money docked from any pay, allowances or grants due.

However, Mr Morley, Mr Devine and Mr Chaytor were not examined as part of the process because a police investigation was already under way – potentially making efforts to claw back cash more difficult.

Mr Bercow said Friday's announcement by the Crown Prosecution Service that charges were being brought had forced a re-examination of the situation. Given that the three cases had not been examined by the Legg Review, "the House itself may wish to consider the members' conduct once the criminal proceedings are concluded" he said.

"In such cases, it is necessary to take sensible precautions to ensure that any restitution can effectively be made."

The Members Estimate Committee, the body that oversees expenses, had therefore decided any payments should be suspended, the Speaker said.