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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Expenses leak man defends actions | Expenses leak man defends actions |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The man who gave details of MPs' expenses to the Daily Telegraph has insisted that Parliament will benefit from their publication. | The man who gave details of MPs' expenses to the Daily Telegraph has insisted that Parliament will benefit from their publication. |
| Ex-SAS officer John Wick, who passed the data on from an anonymous source, said he had "no regrets" about exposing the expenses system's "rotten core". | Ex-SAS officer John Wick, who passed the data on from an anonymous source, said he had "no regrets" about exposing the expenses system's "rotten core". |
| He added: "Parliament will be a better place, society will be a better place." | He added: "Parliament will be a better place, society will be a better place." |
| Mr Wick spoke as further allegations about Tory and Labour politicians' expenses were published in the paper. | Mr Wick spoke as further allegations about Tory and Labour politicians' expenses were published in the paper. |
| 'A marker down' | 'A marker down' |
| Mr Wick said he felt compelled to release the expenses information because the official version that was due to be published in July had lots of details censored. | Mr Wick said he felt compelled to release the expenses information because the official version that was due to be published in July had lots of details censored. |
| He said the public had a right to know about MPs' affairs given how much information the government wanted to collect about ordinary citizens. | He said the public had a right to know about MPs' affairs given how much information the government wanted to collect about ordinary citizens. |
| "Sometimes a marker has to be put down," he said. "The public's put a marker down. It's good." | "Sometimes a marker has to be put down," he said. "The public's put a marker down. It's good." |
| Mr Wick did not comment on whether the Telegraph paid for the information, but insisted it was not stolen. | Mr Wick did not comment on whether the Telegraph paid for the information, but insisted it was not stolen. |
| The protective classification given to [the expenses details] was described to me... as offering the same protection as a wet paper bag John Wick Archbishop enters expenses row Tory MP claims £5,000 for gates MacKay to stand for reselection | The protective classification given to [the expenses details] was described to me... as offering the same protection as a wet paper bag John Wick Archbishop enters expenses row Tory MP claims £5,000 for gates MacKay to stand for reselection |
| It was, he said, "an unregistered copy" obtained "as a result of lax and unprofessional security procedures used in the House of Commons". | It was, he said, "an unregistered copy" obtained "as a result of lax and unprofessional security procedures used in the House of Commons". |
| "The protective classification given to this project was described to me... as offering the same protection as a wet paper bag," he said. | "The protective classification given to this project was described to me... as offering the same protection as a wet paper bag," he said. |
| Mr Wick admitted he did fear the consequences of his actions, but said "sometimes you've just got to step out". | Mr Wick admitted he did fear the consequences of his actions, but said "sometimes you've just got to step out". |
| He is a supporter of the Conservatives but said the expenses issue crossed party boundaries, "with some Conservative MPs' behaviour as reprehensible as their Labour counterparts". | |
| The BBC's political correspondent Reeta Chakrabarti said the Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service had said Mr Wick would not face any charges as the information is not a threat to public safety and is in the public interest. | The BBC's political correspondent Reeta Chakrabarti said the Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service had said Mr Wick would not face any charges as the information is not a threat to public safety and is in the public interest. |
| Mr Wick, who served in the SAS during the 1970s, now works with a City of London firm that advises insurance companies on how to manage their risk. | Mr Wick, who served in the SAS during the 1970s, now works with a City of London firm that advises insurance companies on how to manage their risk. |
| 'Credibly and reasonably' | 'Credibly and reasonably' |
| His comments came as further MPs were dragged into the expenses row. | His comments came as further MPs were dragged into the expenses row. |
| The Daily Telegraph reported that shadow business secretary Jonathan Djanogly claimed £5,000 for a set of automatic gates for his home and nearly £13,000 for gardening. | The Daily Telegraph reported that shadow business secretary Jonathan Djanogly claimed £5,000 for a set of automatic gates for his home and nearly £13,000 for gardening. |
| He told the BBC that he had acted "credibly and reasonably", but had decided to repay £25,000 of the £77,104 he has claimed in total because of public anger over expenses. | He told the BBC that he had acted "credibly and reasonably", but had decided to repay £25,000 of the £77,104 he has claimed in total because of public anger over expenses. |
| Jonathan Djanogly said he had acted 'credibly and reasonably' | Jonathan Djanogly said he had acted 'credibly and reasonably' |
| He said: "I decided - not that I'd done anything wrong, but because of the public dissatisfaction with this whole business, which I share - I would voluntarily give back a significant sum of money. I've also, during this financial year, not claimed a penny." | He said: "I decided - not that I'd done anything wrong, but because of the public dissatisfaction with this whole business, which I share - I would voluntarily give back a significant sum of money. I've also, during this financial year, not claimed a penny." |
| The paper also accused Northern Ireland Minister Paul Goggins of allowing a university friend to live rent-free in a home paid for by the taxpayer. | |
| But Mr Goggins told the BBC the arrangements were based on a "30-year friendship" with Chris Bain and due to the fact that Mr Bain had been the joint owner of the property for six years between 1997 and 2003. | |
| He added that he would be "happy" for the payments to be examined under new procedures Parliamentary procedures. | |
| The Telegraph also reported that Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin used £50,000 in expenses to pay his sister-in-law rent for the property he uses as his constituency home. | |
| Mr Jenkin told the BBC there was "no suggestion of property speculation" or "phantom mortgages" and that he was just paying "an honest and reasonable rent". | |
| He also said he had himself argued for "sweeping changes" of the expenses system. | |
| "I have devoted my life to public service and I now find myself devastated," he added. | |
| 'Systematic humiliation' | |
| The paper also turned the spotlight on Labour MP Khalid Mahmood for allegedly claiming £1,350 for a stay in a five-star west London hotel with his girlfriend. | The paper also turned the spotlight on Labour MP Khalid Mahmood for allegedly claiming £1,350 for a stay in a five-star west London hotel with his girlfriend. |
| It also alleges the property does not have a mortgage on it, which it says raises questions about the amount of rent charged. | |
| Meanwhile, Ian Gibson, MP for Norwich North, has confirmed that he will meet Labour's national executive committee to answer questions about his expenses claims. | Meanwhile, Ian Gibson, MP for Norwich North, has confirmed that he will meet Labour's national executive committee to answer questions about his expenses claims. |
| He was accused of claiming for a flat in which his daughter and her partner lived. He says he shared the flat for a time. | He was accused of claiming for a flat in which his daughter and her partner lived. He says he shared the flat for a time. |
| The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has warned that the "continuing systematic humiliation" of MPs threatened to do irreversible damage to public confidence in Britain's democracy. | The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has warned that the "continuing systematic humiliation" of MPs threatened to do irreversible damage to public confidence in Britain's democracy. |
| Writing in the Times, he said: "Many will now be wondering whether the point has not been adequately made." | Writing in the Times, he said: "Many will now be wondering whether the point has not been adequately made." |