London, (IRNA): Britain’s new coalition government has been hit with the first scandal just two weeks since being formed after it was revealed that a key cabinet minister had claimed some £40,000 ($60,000) excess in expenses over the last eight years.
In a statement apologising for the scandal, Chief Secretary of the Treasury David Laws also admitted that he had been in a homosexual relationship which he had been keeping secret.
Laws, who is a Liberal Democrat in the Conservative-led government, pledged to “immediately” pay back tens of thousands of pounds claimed for rent and other housing costs but is certain to face demands for his resignation.
The issue is being referred to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, which Prime Minister David Cameron was said to agree with, according to his spokesman.
But former chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Sir Alistair Graham, voiced surprise that details of the scandal had only just emerged.
"I'm genuinely shocked that somebody who is now Chief Secretary to the Treasury is faced with disclosure of this nature where he clearly hasn't told the full truth to the people dealing with expenses in the House of Commons,” Graham said.
"Given all the expenses farrago that has gone on over the past two or three years, the fact that it has come to light now when he is a key part of a coalition government is staggering really," he told the BBC.
The scandal over parliamentary expenses was first revealed last year and led several ministers resigning in the former Labour government as well as several MPs facing criminal prosecutions and a record number standing down at this month’s elections.
Laws, who is in charge of implementing £6.2 billions of spending cuts, is one of five Lib Dem MPs appointed to Cameron’s 29-member cabinet.
The coalition government is Britain’s first in nearly 70 years and doubts have already been expressed about the survival of the unexpected centre-right and centre-left alliance with so many policy differences.
source : www.muslimnews.co.uk
