Kelly report wins party leaders' support
Updated on 04 November 2009
Sir Christopher Kelly's review of MPs' expenses proposes an end to mortgage payments, no cleaning or gardening costs, and an end to MPs employing relatives. Cathy Newman reports.
MPs have been told that the taxpayer would no longer pick up their bills as the long-awaited Kelly report into expenses was published.
Party leaders lined up to support the changes, but some backbenchers expressed anger that the man appointed to oversee the new system would be paid £30,000 more than them.
One senior MP who sites on the committee that oversees MPs' expenses told Channel 4 News that MPs should get a 325,000 pay rise.
Sir Christopher Kelly says he hopes his recommendations will cost the taxpayer less, but that may not end up being the case.
Renting in London, for example, often costs more than mortgage payments, especially for those with families.
And the proposed new £1,250 a month rental limit for MPs is at least £1,000 less generous than the MoD scheme on which it is modelled.
Cleaning up parliament may not come cheap - but many will conclude it is a price worth paying.
