MPs will not appeal expenses ruling

12 April 2012

MPs have abandoned their legal battle to keep secret the details of their expenses.

The Commons Members' Estimate Committee decided that it would not seek leave to appeal against a ruling by the High Court ordering the publication of the detailed breakdown of their expenses claims.

It follows the Court's ruling on Friday that the Information Tribunal acted within its powers when it demanded that details of MPs' additional costs allowances must be provided under the Freedom of Information Act.

A spokeswoman for the committee said that they would comply with the court's order that the details of 14 MPs, including Gordon Brown and David Cameron, named in the original freedom of information (FoI) request should be released by a deadline of 4pm on Friday.

The details of remaining MPs - thought to number around one million individual items - will be published in the autumn, the spokeswoman said.

The spokeswoman for the committee said that they would also comply with a ruling by the court that MPs' addresses must be published except where there are "specific security concerns".

MPs' expenses have come under sustained criticism in recent months following the publication of the so-called "John Lewis list" of household items MPs can purchase under their £23,000-a-year second homes allowance.

The list includes £10,000 kitchens and £6,000 bathrooms.

In February, the Information Tribunal ruled that the Commons authorities must provide a detailed breakdown of the additional costs allowances of 14 named MPs, including Mr Brown, Mr Cameron and the former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell.

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