UK's Brown backs down in MPs expenses row: transparency wins

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Brown backs down in expenses row

The government has shelved plans to prevent the publication of more details of MPs' expenses.

Downing Street had indicated Labour MPs would be required to support proposals exempting such information from Freedom of Information laws.

But a planned House of Commons vote has now been dropped after opposition parties refused to back the government.

The Conservatives accused ministers of a "u-turn" while the Lib Dems said it was a "humiliating climbdown".

Long-running case

The row over expenses followed a long-running Freedom of Information case in which campaigners sought to get details of MPs' expenses, which totalled £87.6m in 2006-7, published.

Last year the High Court ordered the Commons authorities to publish details, including all receipts, to back up claims made by 14 MPs under their second homes allowance.

It had been expected that all MPs' expenses details would then be published but Commons leader Harriet Harman told MPs last week the government was bringing forward a plan to exempt MPs' expenses from the scope of the FOI Act.

This would have seen expenses published under 26 headings but not the details of claims for individual items.

Downing Street had indicated that Labour MPs would be expected to support this policy in a vote on Thursday but the Conservatives and Lib Dems said they would oppose the move.

However, shortly after the end of prime minister's questions, the government revealed the vote on the FOI proposal would not take place.

BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said the move would be seen as a "screeching u-turn" by the government.

Ms Harman said the vote had been abandoned because of the "lack of cross-party support" and confirmed she would hold further discussions on how to proceed.

...

"If passed, this order would have had a catastrophic impact on the reputation of Parliament," said Peter Facey, director of the pressure group Unlock Democracy.

"We now call on the parliamentary authorities to publish MPs expenses at the earliest opportunity."

FULL ARTICLE from BBC NEWS:

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