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NEWS ABOUT: British Parliament

Airline Pulls Own Mag After Holocaust Memorial Shoot

Budget easyJet did fashion spread without permission

(Newser) - British budget airline easyJet has taken its in-flight magazine out of its planes after the New Statesman pointed out that a fashion spread in its current edition was shot at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial. The airline blamed the outside publishing house in charge of the magazine, which, judgment and taste... More »

Brown to Repay $20K in Expense Scandal

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.... More »

As 4th Minister Quits, Brown's Outlook Bleak

Blears resigns in potentially fatal blow to PM's authority

(Newser) - With one day to go before clutch British elections, another minister resigned from Gordon Brown's Cabinet today, dealing the beleaguered PM another devastating blow. Hazel Blears, an arch-Blairite who was exposed for avoiding $21,000 in capital gains tax, refused to praise Brown in her resignation statement. She is the... More »

UK Expenses Scandal Hits Alistair Darling

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... More »

Clock Strikes 150 for Big Ben

(Newser) - London’s Big Ben will celebrate three 150th birthdays this year, starting with today’s anniversary of the first movement of the huge clock, the Evening Standard reports. July 11 marks the first ringing of “Big Ben,” the Great Bell that eventually gave its name to the tower,... More »

British MP Billed Taxpayers for 'Servants' Wing'

Tory then sold house and evaded capital gains tax

(Newser) - Just when the scandal over British MPs' expenses seemed to be petering out comes news that a Conservative legislator charged taxpayers $27,000 to build servants' quarters at his second home, the Times of London reports. Sir John Butterfill told the BBC the suggestion he had servants was a "... More »

Forget Tea Parties: Irate Brits Talking 'Bout a Revolution

Decades-long tensions come to the fore over latest scandal

(Newser) - Britain’s embattled politicians may have another revolution on their hands, but this time one that’s brewing on their own soil. Citizens are fuming over outrageous personal expenditures—including a miniature “duck house” and the clearing of a moat—by members of Parliament, but tensions have been simmering... More »

US Journo Exposed UK Expense Scandal

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... More »

UK Expenses Scandal Claims House Speaker

House of Commons speaker Michael Martin steps down

(Newser) - The ongoing controversy surrounding British MPs' lavish expenses has claimed its biggest victim: the speaker of the House of Commons. Michael Martin, who presides over the country's main legislative body, will announce his resignation today after losing the support of party leaders, including Gordon Brown—not for cheating on his... More »

Dissolve Parliament Over Expense Flap: UK Opposition

(Newser) - The improper-expenses scandal roiling the British government is so crippling that the entire parliament ought to be dissolved, and an emergency general election held, opposition leader David Cameron said today. The “political system is paralyzed,” said Cameron, who could push for a June vote, the Telegraph reports. “... More »

Another UK Lawmaker Suspended Over Expenses

Public outrage grows over scandal

(Newser) - Britain’s Labour Party has suspended David Chaytor, the latest lawmaker caught up in a widening expense account scandal, the Daily Telegraph reports. Chaytor reportedly claimed $20,000 in interest on a mortgage that was already paid off. Chaytor has said he made an “unforgivable error in my accounting... More »

UK Minister Resigns in Expense Flap

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... More »

Media Playing Dirty in Brown Expenses Flap

PM's sister-in-law hits back after fiasco over housekeeping

(Newser) - British politicians have endured four days' worth of brutal press coverage after a newspaper published leaked parliamentary expense accounts, which include claims for everything from major home renovations to a Kit Kat bar. Gordon Brown, normally thought of as a frugal preacher's son, expensed $10,000 for cleaning—made payable... More »

British in Uproar Over Bizarre MP Expenses

Ministers charged taxpayers for maids, x-rated movies, cat food

(Newser) - Britain is up in arms today over a series of outrageous and in many cases ridiculous expense account charges from some members of the government. The expense reports were leaked to the Daily Telegraph, which yesterday revealed, that Gordon Brown had paid his brother $9,800 for housecleaning services and... More »

30 Years On, Thatcher Still Divides

Britain's first female PM polarized during her rule, and after

(Newser) - Thirty years ago today British voters elected Margaret Thatcher in a landmark election, ushering in 18 years of Conservative rule. She remains a polarizing figure: her enemies still regard her as nearly diabolical, while her admirers speak of her as a saint. The Telegraph looks back on her tumultuous 11-year... More »

British Cabinet Starts to Rebel Against Brown

After a bad week, PM's deputy suggests she wants to lead Britain

(Newser) - A disastrous week for Gordon Brown has reignited speculation that the British prime minister could be forced out of his job, as senior Labour figures struggled to rein in a restless party. After losing a vote on soldiers' rights and backing down on proposed reforms, Brown is facing renewed calls... More »

British MPs Blast Bankers For 'Astonishing Mess'

Report by finance committee blames HBOS, RBS for meltdown

(Newser) - Bankers bear the majority of blame for the global economic crisis for having made "an astonishing mess of the financial system," an investigation by the British parliament's finance committee has concluded. The Treasury Select Committee said in a report that bailed-out banks such as HBOS and Royal Bank... More »

Hubby of Top UK Minister Billed Taxpayers for Porn

Home secretary's future in gov't in doubt

(Newser) - Jacqui Smith, the British home secretary, was fighting for her political future today after revelations that her husband had billed the taxpayer to watch pornography at their house. The $15 rental fees for two adult movies were bundled into the minister's Internet bill, which he expensed to parliament. Smith has... More »

UK Conservative Leader's Son Dies at Age 6

Cameron's eldest child suffered from rare neurological condition

(Newser) - The eldest son of David Cameron, leader of Britain's Conservative Party and the country's possible next prime minister, died early this morning at age 6. Ivan Cameron suffered from severe epilepsy and cerebral palsy and required constant care, reports the Times of London. He was born with Ohtohara syndrome, a... More »

Sky News Joins BBC in Refusing to Run Gaza Appeal

Both operations claim appeal would threaten image of impartiality

(Newser) - Britain's Sky News has joined the BBC in its controversial decision not to run a charity advertisement appealing for aid to Gaza, reports the Times of London. Sky News executives made the announcement as public and political pressure mounted for the BBC to change its stance. BBC officials said airing... More »

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