MPs lose court appeal over expenses

The Supreme Court has ruled that three former Labour MPs should face criminal trials over their expenses claims. They are David Chaytor, Elliot Morley and Jim Devine and they have been claiming that their cases should be heard by Parliament, not the courts. They seem to think that they will get a more favourable hearing before their peers in Parliament rather than their peers in a jury. I would tend to doubt it. As they are no longer MPs, the current House of Commons, with its vast intake of new members, will want to keep them at arms length. Their best bet is to plead not guilty (as they claim they are) and put their case. It's been done before. The late great George Carman QC, in defending Ken Dodd, said, "some accountants are comedians, but comedians are never accountants".

Perhaps a similar sentiment could be put before the courts in their cases.

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Anymore Mr Morley?

Elliot Morley is in a bind. Not only is he among those whose receipts are all over the media, but he has actually done something wrong outside "the system". He was claiming for mortgage payments on an non-existent mortgage. Now I call that fraud. It has nothing to do with amnesia, or being bad a maths, or just being a busy man. It's just plain fraud. Mr.Morley claimed up to £16,000 and says it was all a terrible mistake. What I don't understand is whether Mr.Morley sat up nights doing his own expenses and is basically incompetent or if a member of his staff just carried on unwittingly not being told that the mortgage had been paid off! How many people who pay off a mortgage carry on paying for it? Answers on a postcard to Mr.Morley!

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