Eighty MPs to challenge expenses payback ruling

Eighty MPs have registered that they wish to appeal against Legg’s bill for challenged expenses. I hear that about half of them may relate to mortgage claims.

Legg has asked for documentation to prove mortgages claimed for and said that while photocopies might have been acceptable to the Fees Office they were not acceptable to him.

The former high court judge Sir Paul Kennedy hired to conduct the appeals will only consider written submissions – there will be no face to face appeal hearings.

This could push the final chapter in Legg, publication of who had to pay up what, back to the very end of January 2010 or even further.

There was no line in the appeal procedure that said MPs must accept the outcome so some may yet resort to court action.

The Commons authorities though think they can get back unpaid challenged expenses by docking it from salary, but quite a lot of the challenged mortgage claims are really quite high, I hear, so if an MP is standing down at the election the Commons might have to try get hold of the severance pay as well.

Related: MPs’ expenses: there WILL be legislation
Full letter to MPs on Legg expenses: review will not be reopened

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