Ross Lydall: Mystery remains over ex-Labour MP's expenses
ONE consequence of the Government's wish to exempt MPs' expenses from freedom of information legislation is to further delay the truth surrounding the final claims made by the former Labour MP David Marshall.
Mr Marshall stood down as MP for Glasgow East last June on grounds of ill health, sparking a shock SNP victory in the subsequent by-election. Conspiracy theories quickly emerged that Mr Marshall - and the Labour party - had been facing embarrassment with the imminent disclosure of eye-wateringly large claims, potentially involving Marshall family members, and that this was a factor in his sudden decision to quit.
Mr Marshall certainly had "form" in claiming large amounts. He claimed £363,080 in the three financial years to March 2007, though his claim in 2006/7 was about £6,000 below the Commons average for the year.
As of today, Parliament is yet to publish MPs' expenses for 2007/8. Normally they would have been released in the autumn. The release of these figures will largely depend on what happens next Thursday, when MPs - and peers - vote on Harriet Harman's proposals to free parliamentarians from the obligation to make public their receipts.
In the interim, we remain uninformed about how public money was used by public servants, and sleights against Mr Marshall cannot be proved or disproved. Justice delayed is justice denied, as campaigners often say.
Time will tell whether justice has been denied to Mr Marshall - or to his former Glasgow constituents, who remain in the dark about whether they were taken for a ride.
Mr Marshall stood down as MP for Glasgow East last June on grounds of ill health, sparking a shock SNP victory in the subsequent by-election. Conspiracy theories quickly emerged that Mr Marshall - and the Labour party - had been facing embarrassment with the imminent disclosure of eye-wateringly large claims, potentially involving Marshall family members, and that this was a factor in his sudden decision to quit.
Mr Marshall certainly had "form" in claiming large amounts. He claimed £363,080 in the three financial years to March 2007, though his claim in 2006/7 was about £6,000 below the Commons average for the year.
As of today, Parliament is yet to publish MPs' expenses for 2007/8. Normally they would have been released in the autumn. The release of these figures will largely depend on what happens next Thursday, when MPs - and peers - vote on Harriet Harman's proposals to free parliamentarians from the obligation to make public their receipts.
In the interim, we remain uninformed about how public money was used by public servants, and sleights against Mr Marshall cannot be proved or disproved. Justice delayed is justice denied, as campaigners often say.
Time will tell whether justice has been denied to Mr Marshall - or to his former Glasgow constituents, who remain in the dark about whether they were taken for a ride.
Labels: David Marshall, expenses, Harriet Harman, Ross Lydall
posted by Administrator at
12:52
2 Comments:
Delighted that Ross Lydall has actually bothered to make mention of the dubious actions surrounding Mr Marshall and that of his extremely odd office/house situation. I'm sure Mr Marshall is deliriously happy at the thought of clearing his name.
This is the first comment we've heard about this matter for months. If Westminster vote against disclosure then it will never be heard of again.
I Montague, hope that Mr Marshall is feeling completely stressed out and quite ill about the outcome. After all, that's why he resigned so quickly wasn't it.
Post a Comment
<< Home