MPs’ expenses: Judge explains privilege ruling – BBC News
“Supreme Court President Lord Phillips has said parliamentary privilege does not protect MPs from being prosecuted for ‘ordinary crimes’.”
BBC News, 1st December 2010
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: parliamentary privilege
Supreme Court ruling to see former MPs stand trial over expenses claims – The Lawyer
“The Supreme Court has ruled that three former Labour MPs must face a criminal trial over their expenses claims.”
The Lawyer, 10th November 2010
Source: www.thelawyer.com
Ruling due on ‘parliamentary privilege’ expenses appeal – BBC News
“Three former Labour MPs will learn later whether they will face criminal trials over their expenses claims.”
BBC News, 10th November 2010
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
MPs’ expenses case to be heard by Supreme Court – Daily Telegraph
“Three former Labour MPs facing criminal trials over expenses-fiddling allegations have been cleared to go to the Supreme Court in their bid to have the charges thrown out.”
Daily Telegraph, 14th September 2010
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Regina v Chaytor and others – WLR Daily
Regina v Chaytor and others; 2010] EWCA Crim 1910; [2010] WLR (D) 218
“Parliamentary privilege or immunity from criminal prosecution did not attach, and never had attached, to ordinary criminal activities by members of Parliament.”
WLR Daily, 2nd August 2010
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
Expenses: Court denies accused defence of parliamentary privilege – The Guardian
“Three former Labour MPs and a Tory peer accused of fiddling their expenses face criminal trials after the court of appeal ruled that parliamentary privilege did not protect them from prosecution.”
The Guardian, 30th July 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Ex-Labour MPs and Tory peer lose expenses appeals – BBC News
“Three former Labour MPs and an ex-Tory peer facing expenses fraud allegations have lost appeals over a ruling that they are not protected by parliamentary privilege from prosecution.”
BBC News, 30th July 2010
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Torture’ man wins appeal right – BBC News
“A Briton who says he was tortured in Pakistan with the complicity of UK security services has won the right to appeal against his terror convictions.”
BBC News, 30th June 2010
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Ex-MPs and peer on expenses charges ‘not above the law’ – The Independent
“An appeal brought by three former Labour MPs and a Tory peer facing trial over allegations that they fiddled their expenses was not an attempt to ‘take them above the law’, three of the country’s top judges heard today.”
The Independent, 29th June 2010
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Ex Labour MPs and Tory peer lose expenses ruling – BBC News
Three former MPs and a peer are set to stand trial over expenses fraud allegations after a judge ruled they could not claim parliamentary privilege to stop prosecution.”
BBC News, 11th June 2010
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Law firm ‘in contempt’ over MP legal threat – The Independent
“A leading law firm has been found ‘in contempt’ of the Commons after threatening an MP with legal proceedings if he made allegations about one of its clients in the House.”
The Independent, 25th February 2010
Source: www.independent.co.uk
The Big Question: What is parliamentary privilege, and is it being abused? – The Independent
“Why are we asking this now?
Three Labour MPs, Elliot Morley, David Chaytor, Jim Devine and a Tory peer, Lord Hanningfield, have been charged with false accounting over their expenses claims. They deny the offences and are trying to avoid a criminal trial by invoking the 1689 Bill of Rights which gives force to parliamentary privilege. This is the privilege which stops MPs and peers from being sued for defamation.”
The Independent, 9th February 2010
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Statement from Keir Starmer QC, Director of Public Prosecutions, on parliamentary expenses charging decisions – Crown Prosecution Service
“Following widespread concerns about the expenses claimed by some MPs and some members of the House of Lords, a number of complaints were made to the Metropolitan Police alleging criminal conduct. In light of these complaints on 15 May 2009, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Paul Stephenson, and I agreed to set up a panel of senior police officers and senior prosecuting lawyers to assess the complaints and consider whether there should be a criminal investigation into any of them.”
Crown Prosecution Service, 5th February 2010
Source: www.cps.gov.uk
MPs to investigate solicitors’ ‘contempt of parliament’ – The Guardian
“MPs today agreed to investigate an allegation that a firm of solicitors committed a contempt of parliament by trying to stop a member speaking about a constituency issue in the House of Commons.”
The Guardian, 14th January 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
MPs invoke 1689 Bill to avoid prosecution – The Independent
“Three labour MPs are arguing they cannot be prosecuted over expenses claims because they are protected by parliamentary privilege.”
The Independent, 4th January 2010
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Expenses clean-up bill is passed – BBC News
“A bill aimed at cleaning up Parliament after the MPs’ expenses scandal has become law after getting Royal Assent.”
BBC News, 22nd July 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Blow to politics clean-up bill as MPs defend parliamentary privilege – The Guardian
“The government’s efforts to rush through emergency legislation to clean up politics tonight took a second knock in as many days as it was defeated in its attempts to make it easier to secure prosecutions in alleged cases of ‘cash for questions’.”
The Guardian, 1st July 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Brown gets tough in Parliament clean-up – The Independent
“Legislation is to be rushed through Parliament to end Westminster’s system of self-regulation and impose a new code of conduct on MPs in the wake of the expenses scandal, Gordon Brown announced today.”
The Independent, 10th June 2009
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Police called in over leaks as more MPs accused – The Times
“MPs defied their own legal advice last night and asked the police to investigate how expenses details had been offered for sale to newspapers.”
The Times, 9th May 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
