Police WILL investigate MPs

Scotland Yard, following a suggestion yesterday from Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson that officers were considering whether or not some MPs may have acted unlawfully in submitting dubious expenses claims, has announced that an investigation will go ahead.

The famous No.10 copper could be knocking on your door and asking you to answer a few questions soon, Mr. Brown, so best hide your kingsize fag papers just in case.

It is known that officers from Economic and Specialist Crime will head the investigation, but police have not yet given any indication concerning which MPs will be questioned. Two weeks ago it was said to be very unlikely that any Member would face prosecution but there has been widespread public anger since then, fuelled further by yesterday's publication of expense documents online.

Police investigators and legal experts have been working with Commons officials since suspicions that some of the claims might be unlawful first arose some time ago when the Daily Telegraph began printing details from their own copy of the documents. The Labour party has thus far declined to give any comment other than stating that it would be inappropriate for them "to comment on an ongoing police investigation," but further statements can be expected.

Let's hope they'll be examined every bit as scrupulously as any of us would be if we were caught trying to trick our employers into paying for either a business lunch we hadn't in fact had or an item unrelated to our work. A few MPs looks rather as though they may have committed fraud and it is to be hoped that, should they be brought to account, they will face the harshest punishment available to them so that they serve as an example to future generations of politicians who might consider using our taxes for their own personal enrichment.