British in Uproar Over Bizarre MP Expenses

1st MP to step down says he acted '1 million percent by the book'

(NEWSER) - Britain’s justice minister resigned today amid a furor over a sketchy rental agreement, the first MP to do so following the revelation of excessive expenses charged by members of parliament to taxpayers, the Telegraph reports. Prime Minister Gordon Brown launched an investigation into whether Shahid Malik breached conduct codes in securing a lease at well below market rates in his home district, then using housing allowances to fix up his London pad. More»

PM had called for ministers to pony up

(NEWSER) - Gordon Brown has been sent a bill for £12,415 ($19,600) for questionable expense account claims, and the prime minister intends to pay up, 10 Downing St. announced today. The lion’s share of that money was used for housecleaning, with a bit going to gardening and decorating. Both Conservative leader David Cameron and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg received nastygrams from an auditor, the Daily Telegraph reports. More»

(NEWSER) - UK Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will resign her post, the Times of London reports, in an effort to hang onto her seat in parliament despite the expense scandal swirling around her. Smith has been badly embarrassed by revelations that she had charged taxpayers for her family home, several digital cameras, an iPod, a personal accountant, and, most embarrassingly, five porn movies her husband watched. More»

Govt's No. 2 claimed 2 houses at same time, may be demoted

(NEWSER) - Britain's ongoing political expenses scandal reached all the way to the second-highest post in government today, after the Telegraph broke news that Chancellor Alistair Darling reportedly expensed the service charge on a South London apartment he was renting out while also claiming allowances on his Downing Street house. Though he denies the allegation, Darling this morning agreed to pay back about $1,500; speculation is growing that he will be demoted in a government reshuffle as soon as Friday. More»

Freelancer's Freedom of Information Act query lifted lid on abuse of system

(NEWSER) - The scandal shaking Britain's Parliament to its core was set in motion by a simple request from a freelance American writer, the New York Times reports. Heather Brooke submitted a query about politicians' expenses under Britain's Freedom of Information Act after it came into effect, only to meet years of stonewalling before lawmakers agreed to release the info in July—and then to be scooped by the Daily Telegraph, which bought and published a leaked list of wildly inappropriate expense claims. More»