Cameron vows to change law and end MPs' privilege rights

OPPOSITION leader David Cameron will pledge today to change the law and prevent the "disgusting sight" of MPs using parliamentary privilege in a bid to avoid prosecution for expenses abuses.

The Conservative Party leader will also challenge Gordon Brown to withdraw the Labour whip from three MPs who have been charged with false accounting over their claims.

And he will accuse the Prime Minister of helping to create the culture at Westminster that led to the expenses scandal.

His speech in central London, comes amid fury over speculation that the trio – David Chaytor, Elliot Morley and Scottish MP Jim Devine – will argue parliamentary privilege exempts them from prosecution.

It is also believed Mr Cameron will insist that Mr Brown has shown he is "just not capable" of dealing with the issues involved in reforming parliament.

"Look how he tried to block the publication of expenses," he will say. "Look how he tolerates the disgusting sight of Labour MPs taking parliamentary privilege designed to help MPs fight for their constituents; for truth and justice and abuse it in order to save their skins and avoid prosecution for fraud and wrongdoing."

"At the very least, Gordon Brown should immediately clarify whether the Labour Party is paying for that and withdraw the whip from these shameless Labour MPs."

Mr Cameron – who has already withdrawn the Tory whip from Lord Hanningfield after he was charged with false accounting over his expenses – will lambast the PM for "cynically" backing voting reform to save his own skin. And he will accuse him of blocking parliamentary reforms proposed by a cross-party committee led by Labour backbencher Dr Tony Wright.

The Tory leader is calling for MPs to delay their half-term break by a day so they can debate the proposals – including electing select committee officials and giving rank-and-file MPs more control over House business – on Thursday.

• The proportion of female Tory MPs will more than double if the party wins the general election. Currently, 18 of the Conservatives' 193 MPs are women, but according to the website ConservativeHome if the Tories secured an overall majority of one, the number of women MPs would rise to 61.