Pay parliamentarians the rate for the job
The uproar about MPs’ expenses threatens more serious damage than holding up the nation to ridicule. It promises to rob politics of the people it needs, writes Philip Stephens
MPs’ expenses
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Growing public outrage at the revelation of widespread abuse of the Westminster expenses system has left the political establishment reeling
Tories target lack of reform on expenses
David Cameron put the lack of proposed legislation to clean up MPs’ expenses at the heart of the Tory attack on the Queen’s Speech, as he renewed his call for an immediate general election
Regime likely to cost MPs £17,000
MPs are counting the cost of a new stringent regime for parliamentary expenses that will hit their annual household incomes by an average of £17,000, according to Financial Times analysis
Regulator’s pay fans flames of dissent
News that the outsider charged with cleaning up parliament would be paid up to £100,000 a year was met with howls and jeers from MPs, in a sign of the raw nerves exposed by the furore over expenses
Brown firm on Kelly expenses proposals
‘Highly unlikely’ that clean-up of the House of Commons will be blocked by the government, says Downing Street
Harman says expenses report may be diluted
The long-awaited Kelly report into MPs’ expenses could be watered down with at least one of its most stringent recommendations dropped, according to Harriet Harman, leader of the House of Commons
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Comment & Analysis
The ousting of Sir Christopher
Former mandarins, who once wielded such power in the corridors of Whitehall, are still causing headaches for Gordon Brown’s beleaguered government, writes Sue Cameron
MPs’ expenses: a view from the US
To an American, the outrage is understandable. It is also excessive and dangerous, says Christopher Caldwell
Not quite a revolution but, with luck, the end of an era
Public anger stirred by newspaper revelations of British MPs’ expenses claims dating back several years has seen MPs of all parties in full retreat before a modern day mob. The affair has been a salutary reminder of the manifest flaws of a smug institution, writes Philip Stephens
A very British coup
UK politics: Public fury over scandalous expenses claims has pushed lawmakers, in fear of losing their jobs as well as their reputations, towards constitutional reform
Tears in Westminster over expenses
After a week of lurid revelations, only a few brave MPs are still ready to stand up and defend the way they worked the parliamentary expenses system
It is time to update the ancient constitution
Britain needs a charter of rights, a parliament reformed by serious bicameralism and symmetrical devolution, writes Larry Siedentop
Beware bail-out kings and backbench barons
We may be relaxed that some people do become filthy rich, but we should not be relaxed about how they become so, writes John Kay
Editorial Comment
Parliamentary woe
In politics, you get what you pay for and what you ask for. Parliament should not be the preserve of the already wealthy. Salaries should be high enough to attract the experienced and ambitious
Rebalancing power in British politics
Revitalised municipal government is the cure to hyper-centralism. The UK should shed its preference for decentralised administration that remains centrally controlled and rate-capped
Fix up the House of Commons
British parliament needs more power and better members. But what first needs to be done is to clean up the MPs’ expenses system. That requires the clean-out of those who have abused it
Westminster starts on path to reform
Speaker Michael Martin’s departure is a necessary step as MPs seek to regain public trust after revelations about their expense claims. But making amends does not end here
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