MPs' EXPENSES (3)

The criminal trials of three former Members of Parliament and one peer caught up in the expenses scandal in the U.K. will now go ahead. They had been charged under S.17 of the Theft Act for false accounting, but the trials were delayed while the courts first considered their defence of Parliamentary Privilege. As I mentioned in my blog of 6 February, this is an ancient privilege normally used to protect what MPs and peers say in Parliament and similar fora; until now, it had not played a part in enabling parliamentarians to remain above the law.

The courts agreed that it should continue not to do so. The trial judge, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court (sitting as a body of 9 instead of the usual 5) all dismissed the defence. The first trial is now likely to start later this month.

Quite right, too. Public confidence in politicians is never going to rise, if the normal rules of society are not applied equally to all. The idea that stealing taxpayers' money is OK if you happen to have been elected by them is ridiculous. Well done, the judges.

Walter Blotscher