The World's Laura Lynch reports on the growing scandal -- and taxpayer outrage -- in Britain over Members of Parliament and their dubious expenses.
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MARCO WERMAN: I'm Marco Werman, and this is The World, a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI, and WGBH Boston. The scandal in Britain over politicians and their questionable expense claims is spreading. Today, a government minister was forced to step down. The scandal is based on revelations by the Daily Telegraph newspaper. It's printing the expenses claimed by various members of Parliament, or MPs, for reimbursement by taxpayers. That's got the MP's on the defensive, as The World's Laura Lynch reports from London.
LAURA LYNCH: First, they tried to justify. Then they tried to explain. Then came the apologies – for using taxpayers' money for chandeliers, helicopter pads, even cleaning a moat around a country estate. Today, though, something new. Junior justice minister Shahid Malik, fighting off claims he abused his expenses, came out swinging.
SHAHID MALIK: I have absolutely nothing to apologize for. I've done nothing wrong.
LYNCH: Malik was reimbursed nearly $100,000 dollars for renting a London residence over three years. That was supposed to offset his housing costs back home in his district. But Malik was paying far less than that. On top of that, he tried to claim more than $3,000 for a flashy home entertainment center. Malik was only allowed half of that, and offered that at least he wasn't as bad as some other MP's.
MALIK: This isn't a heli pad, it's not a tennis court. It's not horse manure, it's not a moat, you know, it's not a country estate. This is 1050 pounds for a television.
LYNCH: His defiance, though, was short lived. Less than an hour after this interview, the government announced Malik had been suspended as minister – his housing claim under review. This, according to Oxford University's Vernon Bogdanor, is not the time for politicians to talk back.
VERNON BOGDANOR: Public anger is greater than I've ever seen it in my lifetime -- public anger towards MP's -- and it's growing. It's not diminishing. It's growing and expanding day by day as new revelations occur.
LYNCH: But as MP's are shamed into paying back funds, there are growing calls for greater punishment. Former police officer turned civic politician Ray Mallon wants Scotland Yard to investigate.
RAY MALLON: As far as I'm concerned, the evidence is there to suggest that criminality under false accounting rules has occurred, and that needs to be investigated. And on top of that, it's not for MP's to say, “We're innocent or guilty.†It's for the process to decide that at a later date. The rules don't even come into it. It's what's right and wrong.
LYNCH: As the fury funnels through to all the major parties, there are real concerns that the damage to British politics could be deep and long lasting. Historian Anthony Seldon urges some perspective.
ANTHONY SELDON: Are our politicians any worse today than they were 150 years ago? No. Are they worse than they are in other countries? Probably not. I think that there are some very bad MP's out there who've done shocking and dishonest things, but I think the great majority of these people are good.
LYNCH: That may not matter – at least, not in the coming weeks. In less than a month, Britons will cast their ballots for the European Parliament. Not surprisingly, the polls coming out now suggest smaller parties, like the Greens or the UK Independence Party, are benefiting from the bitterness swirling around Britain. For The World, I'm Laura Lynch, in London.
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