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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Brown backs down in expenses row | Brown backs down in expenses row |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The government has shelved plans to hold a vote on controversial proposals to restrict the amount of information published about MP expenses. | The government has shelved plans to hold a vote on controversial proposals to restrict the amount of information published about MP expenses. |
| No 10 had insisted it would hold a vote on exempting expenses information from Freedom of Information laws and that Labour MPs would be forced to back it. | No 10 had insisted it would hold a vote on exempting expenses information from Freedom of Information laws and that Labour MPs would be forced to back it. |
| But the government has now decided to abandon the vote after opposition parties said they would not support it. | But the government has now decided to abandon the vote after opposition parties said they would not support it. |
| The High Court said last year receipts for MPs expenses should be published. | The High Court said last year receipts for MPs expenses should be published. |
| U-turn | |
| The High Court ordered the Commons 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. | |
| I believe all-party support is important and we will continue to consult on that matter Gordon Brown | |
| No 10 had indicated that Labour MPs would be expected to support this policy in a vote on Thursday but the Conservative and Lib Dems said they would oppose the move. | |
| However, shortly after the end of Prime Minister's Questions, No 10 revealed that the vote would not take place. | |
| Earlier, Mr Brown blamed the Conservatives for what he said was a breakdown of a consensus over the way forward. | |
| "We thought we had agreement on the FOI Act as part of this wider package," he told MPs. | |
| "Recently that support that we believed we had from the main opposition party was withdrawn. | |
| "So on this particular matter, I believe all-party support is important and we will continue to consult on that matter." | |
| During PMQs, Tory MP Edward Garnier said it showed "hideous levels of insensitivity" to limit disclosure of MP's spending at a time of such economic gloom. | |
| The Lib Dems had described the proposal as "outrageous". | |
| The row 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. |