MPs' expenses - extracts from the high court judgment

MPs' expenses - extracts from the high court judgment

The Guardian has provided extracts from the high court judgment ordering the publication of full details of the expenses claimed by 14 MPs and ex-MPs relating to their second homes.

• The judges pointed out that the Information Tribunal, which originally ordered the publication of full details of additional costs allowance (ACA) claims, thought the system was open to abuse.
• The judges also said there was a public interest in the disclosure of expense details.
• The Commons authorities appealed against the Information Tribunal decision partly on the grounds that MPs had a "reasonable expectation" that full details of their claims would not be published. The judges rejected this argument.
• The Commons authorities also argued that MPs should not have to reveal their addresses. But the judges rejected this argument too.

MPs' expenses: extracts from the judgment (The Guardian, 16 May 2008)

The Law Explored: MPs' expenses - Should MPs be able to spend taxpayers’ hard-earned money on themselves without saying how they spend it? (The Times, 21 May 2008)

Blair was chased over unpaid bill (BBC News, 23 May 2008)

Speaker under fire as MPs lose secrecy fight (The Independent, 23 May 2008)

Three-year battle to reveal MPs' expenses (The Times, 24 May 2008)