UK Finance News

Following Mondays news that three of the four MPs charged with fiddling their expenses would receive legal aid for legal representation at their trials expected later this year, the Prime Minister has stated that he ‘thinks’ the three former Labour MPs  will have to pay back the publicly funded legal aid that they are to get to pay for their defence.

Gordon Brown said on BBC local radio in Derby:

“I think this money will have to be paid back by these politicians. I think the evidence is that people in their position will have to pay back any money that they get in legal aid.”

Brown said that free legal aid would be abolished in June in favour of means testing, adding that the three MPs would not receive legal aid under the changes, reiterating that he ‘thinks’ they will have to pay the money back.

A spokesman for the Legal Services Commision later said what I suspect we all know anyway, that the changes would not apply in this case as the aid had already been granted.

The only chance of  the legal aid having to be repaid, lies with the Judge at the trial, who could decide at the end of the cases whether those charged should pay back any or all of the aid. How is Gordon Brown so out of touch with this?

The fourth politician to be tried for his part in the expenses scandal has at least had the common decency not to apply for legal aid.

After living the life of Riley at the tax payers expense the accused, at least three of them, are determined to continue milking the public for all they can get.

Elliot Morley, David Chaytor, Jim Devine all face criminal charges of false accounting over claims they made for mortgage payments, rent and other services.

The fourth politician charged with the same offences is Conservative peer Paul White. If found guilty of the charges,they could face a maximum seven years in prison.

So we could face yet another few years of subsidising them, while they further educate themselves in the finer details of accountancy and deceit in jail.