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| Britain |
| House of Lords leader to probe peers cash claims |
| 2009-01-25 |
| Four Labour peers face an investigation into claims they were prepared to accept thousands of pounds in cash in return for changing British laws. The Sunday Times said the peers, including two former ministers, were ready to accept up to STG120,000 ($A253,646) from business clients to amend laws as they passed through the House of Lords. Undercover reporters working for the newspaper and posing as lobbyists for a foreign retailer keen to open shops in Britain claim they were told by the four peers that laws could be changed in return for cash. The reporters secretly recorded two of the peers talking about how they had previously helped change laws passing through parliament on behalf of clients. "I will work within the rules, but the rules are meant to be bent sometimes," Lord Taylor of Blackburn allegedly told the undercover reporters. Former defence minister Lord Moonie, former energy minister Lord Truscott and a former Labour whip were the other peers named by the paper as being prepared to accept cash. The leader of the House of Lords Baroness Royall of Blaisdon said she was "deeply concerned" about the allegations. "I have spoken to the members who are the subject of them and I shall be pursuing these matters with the utmost vigour," she said in a statement. "The House of Lords has a code of conduct for members which clearly states that members 'must never accept any financial inducement as an incentive or reward for exercising parliamentary influence'. "If allegations are made that members are in breach of these rules, and complaints are made about members conduct, then their conduct will be investigated in accordance with procedures laid down by the House." Lord Truscott has denied the claims. He told the BBC that while he had held discussions with an undercover reporter, "to suggest I would offer to put down amendments for money is a lie". Lord Moonie said he had discussed a fee of STG30,000 ($A63,411) with the undercover reporters but had been suspicious about who they were. "I am not aware of having offered to do anything for these people that was outside the rules," he told the BBC. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #1 Four Labour peers face an investigation into claims they were prepared to accept thousands of pounds in cash in return for changing British laws. And they say there are no bargains anymore! |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2009-01-25 08:49 |