Downing Street Says » MPs’ Expenses

Asked what the Prime Minister’s thought about Parliamentary immunity, the PMS said that the Prime Minister believed that no MP was above the law. Criminal law applied to MPs in the same way as it applied to anyone else. Parliamentary privilege was not intended to cover issues like these. The Leader of the House’s comments this morning reinforced the Prime Minister’s view that if MPs committed an offence they had to face trial. The Prime Minister had been at the vanguard of getting rid of the old discredited system.

Asked if the Prime Minister had a view on whether the intervention by the Leader of the Opposition could prejudice the trial, the PMS said that it was not for him to comment on what other party political leaders said; the Prime Minister made clear last week that he was angry about what had happened and had taken steps to remove the right for those MPs to stand.

Asked about the comments made by the Leader of the House of Commons said this morning, the PMS said that the Prime Minister had made it very clear that no MP was above the law, which was exactly what the Leader of the House said. These individual cases would be looked at in more detail by the appropriate authorities. The Prime Minister had been leading the reform of the expenses system and looked forward to a new system.

Asked if the Prime Minister believed that anything said so far could prejudice the trial, the PMS said that no one should ever say anything to prejudice anyone’s trial regardless of who they were. The Prime Minister’s view was clear; no MP was above the law.

Asked if the Prime Minister supported legislation to clarify the law on privilege, the PMS said that the DPP had already said that it was for the courts to decide if privilege could be used as defence and we would legislate if necessary to clarify the position.

Asked if the Prime Minister supported the Liberal Democrats’ proposal to amend the Constitutional Reform Bill, the PMS said that it was a question of whether or not it was necessary. The important point was that no MP was above the law.

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» Monday, February 8, 2010

MPs’ Expenses

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