MPs face charges in expenses reform
MPs who make false allowances claims could face criminal charges under new measures announced by Commons Leader Harriet Harman.
She said the Parliamentary Standards Bill would create new criminal offences as well as establishing an independent body to oversee a reformed system of MPs' pay and perks.
And she told the Commons that the blacking out of large amounts of information on MPs' published expenses receipts will be "looked at again" ahead of the release of details of the 2008-9 claims.
She agreed with shadow Commons leader Alan Duncan that only the "barest minimum" of information should be redacted to protect personal information such as phone numbers and credit card details.
But Mr Duncan was critical of plans to publish details of all outside earnings, claiming many MPs believed the new rules were "unworkable".
