Another UK Lawmaker Suspended Over Expenses

Public outrage grows over scandal
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted May 16, 2009 9:17 AM CDT
Another UK Lawmaker Suspended Over Expenses
Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown addresses the Scottish Labour Party conference in Dundee, Scotland, Friday March 6, 2009.   (AP Photo/Danny Lawson-pa)

Britain’s Labour Party has suspended David Chaytor, the latest lawmaker caught up in a widening expense account scandal, the Daily Telegraph reports. Chaytor reportedly claimed $20,000 in interest on a mortgage that was already paid off. Chaytor has said he made an “unforgivable error in my accounting procedures for which I apologize unreservedly.” He is the second Labour MP suspended, and criminal charges could follow.

The party has decided to "deselect" anyone deemed to have expensed improperly, the Guardian reports, barring them from running for reelection. The Telegraph has been revealing MP expense account claims ranging from frivolous to fraudulent for 9 days now, causing mass uproar. “People are very angry about this,” said one Tory councilor. “They think they are being taken for granted and taken for a ride.” (More British Parliament stories.)

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