Leader backs Davies over expenses

A North West Euro-MP is claiming a victory in his campaign for honest and transparent expense payments to European politicians.

Liberal Democrat Chris Davies has persuaded leader Nick Clegg to strengthen the party’s procedures in publishing details of money received from the public purse.

The boost comes in the midst of public outrage at the large sums of money MPs in Westminster have pocketed for items seemingly unconnected to their duties.

The revelations from leaked expenses claims have so far focused on Labour and Tory MPs, with details of what Lib-Dem MPs have claimed expected to be published soon.

Mr Clegg announced at the launch of his party’s European election manifesto in London that his Euro-MPs would be required to publish details of all the money they receive from public sources.

And he called on every candidate standing in the election on 4 June to do the same.

Mr Davies says it marks an important step forward in his campaign to secure reform and improvement of the current regime.

Last year he blew the whistle on dishonest Euro-MPs by leaking details of a confidential report from European Parliament auditors that revealed how some members were abusing the system of paying their staff.

In November, North-West Tory Euro-MP Den Dover was ordered to pay back £500,000 after it was revealed that he had paid £758,000 over a period of years to a company owned by his wife and daughter.

Mr Davies says that unless Euro-MPs are required to reveal full details of their expenses to the public in the 27 European Union countries there will be insufficient pressure for thorough reform.

He said: “I explained to Nick Clegg that the Liberal Democrats’ current arrangements did not go far enough, and he has backed me 100%.

“We may not yet be able to achieve reform across the whole of Europe, but we can at least promise voters in Britain that the candidates we put before them are committed to an open and honest approach.”

Voters across Europe will elect 785 Euro-MPs next month from all 27 EU countries, including 72 seats allocated to the UK.