Elliot Morley suspended from PLP – but chief whip knew of his wrongdoing a week ago

From @LabourList

Below are highlights from the PM, Chief Whip and Europe Minister on this day:

“I’ve done my best to verify the facts and felt it right to suspend [Elliot Morley] from the privileges of membership of the PLP. His privileges of shaping the whip are removed. Elliot himself has referred his actions to the Parliamentary Commission for Standards. The allegations are serious. He told me about this a week ago, but it’s difficult for me to repsond until I’ve seen them until I’ve seen them fully. I’ve spoken to Elliot this morning and the obligation is on me to suspend him. Elliot doesn’t think he’s done anything wrong; it’s right that he puts forward his case, so the suspension is without implication of guilt”.

“It’s to give him breathing space. We await the outcome. This is not something you do with a light heart, but the circusmstances necessitate it. I don’t know whether there are [other Labour MPs] implicated but there are no other MPs implicated from what I know so far. If I need to do more, then I will”.

“This has done extensive damage to the reputation of Parliament and the only thing we can do is put right what’s gone wrong in the past. We haven’t been able to get all party support on [expenses reform]. There was discussion between the leaders of all parties [before the YouTube video]. I don’t think the PM looks weak because he can’t get David Cameron to agree with him, but it would be foolish to ignore what they’re up to, by trying to play politics for all its worth. The Tories made that clear in PMQs by getting on to communications allowances. Gordon sets high standards for himself and wasn’t pleased at all [about Elliot Morley], and that’s an understatement”.

UPDATE:

BBC reporting that Elliot Morley’s CLP is keen to talk to him and that his future as an MP is in doubt and he won’t be allowed to stand at the next general election in Scunthorpe. Local Labour activists are apparently asking “how will he be able to look people in the face after this?”

Caroline Flint:

“We can’t ignore that this situation is the number one issue, but as I’ve been going around the coutnry, people are concerned about their future. Labour has shown you can have a constuctive voice working with others in Europe.”

“What’s important is that conversations take place, facts are discovered and action taken and that has happened in this case.”

“It was felt that action needed to be taken. Under the circumstances that’s the right thing to do. But we can’t just rely on in house solutions to this in the future and that means an independent board. We should have done this earlier.”

“People are concerned about the whole issue. But we’ve got Euro elections as well and I hope during the next few weeks we’ll have a debate about why it’s important to have a constructive voice in the EU”.

“It’s concerning…how individuals have operated, that’s why Elliot’s been suspended from the PLP. We are taking immediate action”.

UPDATE: 15:05: Chief Whip Nick Brown speaking now: “I am slightly surprised and disappointed”.

UPDATE: 15:01 – PM speaking now

“My leadership has not been sloppy. Action is being taken. Expenses claims must be reviewed and analysed. Every irregularity is being dealt with. In the long run we need a change in the system and I’ve been advocating that for a long time.

“Where people have done something wrong, action has to be taken. I believe further investigations to be made are voluntary. He’s been suspended because we are concerned to show the public that service can be upheld.”

UPDATE: Elliot Morley suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party and as PM’s envoy on Climate Change. It means he will be forbidden from standing for the Labour Party at the next election.

Explaining his decision, Gordon Brown said:

“Where there is irregularity now it has got to be dealt with immediately. Where standards have been transgressed and the evidence has been shown to be there, action has got to be taken. Where disciplinary action is necessary, it will and will immediately be taken. He said he had decided to suspend Mr Morley from the Parliamentary Labour Party because of the “serious” nature of the allegations against him. If there are any other disciplinary cases where we have to take action we will take action immediately.”

UPDATE: Two Labour peers – Lord Taylor of Blackburn and Lord Truscott – are to be suspended from the House of Lords over the cash for amendments scandal. The recommendations will come in a report from the Lord Privileges Committee later this morning. Another Labour peer, Lord Snape, will apologise to the House and a fourth, Lord Mooney, has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Andrew MacKay, a senior parliamentary and political adviser to David Cameron, was the first to lose his job as a result of the expenses scandal today, after he resigned from his post this morning. MacKay’s resignation is thought to have resulted from allegations surrounding claims for the second home allowance.

MacKay is married to Julie Kirkbride, another Conservative MP, and it is understood that he had claimed second home allowance on one property while she claimed the second home allowance on another property they shared. He came forward with the information of his claims voluntarily. Ms Kirkbride’s position, and MacKay’s position as MP for Bracknell in Berkshire, are as yet unclear. The scandal may yet result in deslections and by-elections for Members of all parties.

A spokesman for Cameron said an examination of MacKay’s past allowances revealed “an unacceptable situation that would not stand up to reasonable public scrutiny. Mr MacKay has agreed to appear in front of the scrutiny panel to discuss how much of the allowance should be paid back.”