The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal that emerged in 2009, concerning expense claims made by members of the British Parliament in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords over the previous years. The disclosure of widespread misuse of allowances and expenses permitted to members of Parliament (MPs) aroused widespread anger among the UK public and resulted in a large number of resignations, sackings, de-selections, and retirement announcements, together with public apologies and the repayment of expenses. Several members, and former members, of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords were prosecuted and sentenced to terms of imprisonment. A February 2008 Freedom of Information Act request for the release of details of MPs' expense claims was allowed by an Information Tribunal and was challenged by the House of Commons Authorities on the grounds that it was "unlawfully intrusive". In May 2008, the High Court (England and Wales) ruled in favour of releasing the information. In April 2009, the House of Commons authorities announced that publication of expenses, with certain information deemed "sensitive" redacted, would be made available in July 2009. However, before this could take place, the expenses' records and documentation were leaked to The Daily Telegraph newspaper, which began publishing details in daily instalments from 8 May 2009. These disclosures dominated the British media for weeks. On 18 June 2009, the details of all MP expenses and allowance claims approved from 2004 to 2008 were published on the official Parliament website, but with some details removed, such as addresses, claims that were not approved for payment, and correspondence between MPs and the parliamentary fees office. This brought further accusations of unnecessary secrecy and allegations that this might have prevented serious abuses from being disclosed. Since most claims revolved around MPs' second homes in London, a panel was established to investigate all claims relating to the "second homes" allowance between 2004 and 2008. Headed by former civil servant Sir Thomas Legg, the panel published its findings on 12 October as MPs returned to Westminster following the summer recess. Each MP received a letter stating whether or not he or she would be required to repay any expenses claimed. Details of voluntary repayments by MPs amounting to almost £500,000 were also officially published. It was announced on 5 February 2010 that criminal charges of false accounting were to be prosecuted against four parliamentarians, all later jailed. On 19 May, charges were brought against two more, and on 13 and 14 October 2010, two more faced legal proceedings. Three peers were suspended on 18 October 2010 due to their expense claims.
Background and legal proceedings
In the United Kingdom, MPs can claim expenses, including the cost of accommodation, 'wholly, exclusively and necessarily incurred for the performance of a Member's parliamentary duties'. In January 2005, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into force, allowing members of the public to request disclosure of information from public bodies. One early request came from the journalist Jon Ungoed-Thomas. Another request came from journalist and freedom of information campaigner Heather Brooke. Both asked for details of the expenses claimed by certain MPs to be released. The requests were subsequently passed over to the Information Commissioner, who joined the journalists' cases together and ordered the release of some information on 15 June 2007. House of Commons authorities objected to this order in June 2007, and MPs had, in May 2007, voted in favour of the Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill, which sought to exempt MPs from the 2000 Act. The House of Commons voted 96 to 25 in favour of the Exemption of the House of Commons amendment, but the bill was ultimately withdrawn prior to a second reading in the House of Lords because peers were unwilling to sponsor the bill. In February 2008, after referral to an Information Tribunal, it was held that Commons authorities would release information on 14 MPs. This decision was subsequently appealed against, delaying the release of information. In the tax year 2007–2008, MPs' costs of staying away from their main homes were limited to £23,083. In January 2009, Harriet Harman, Leader of the House of Commons, tabled a motion that would exempt MPs' expenses from being disclosed under a Freedom of Information request, in order to prevent any further disclosure of information. Labour MPs were placed under a three-line whip in order to force the motion through the Commons. However, opposition parties stated they would vote against the proposals, and large-scale public opposition emerged. The proposals were ultimately dropped on 21 January 2009. The Commons authorities announced that full disclosure of all MPs' expenses would be published on 1 July 2009. Ultimately, the media disclosure made the legal appeal moot; the appeal was finally heard at the High Court, which ruled on 16 May 2008 in favour of releasing the information. No appeal was lodged against the High Court ruling, and the requested details were made public on 23 May 2008.
Pre-publication controversies Prior to The Daily Telegraph's revelations in May and June 2009 and the official publication of expenses claimed in June 2009, and during the Freedom of Information cases, there were a variety of exposés that covered the controversial John Lewis List (a list considered to indicate amounts that could be claimed without question) and individual MPs' expenses claims. Examples of items publicised prior to the May 2009 disclosures included:
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