UK MPs and peer vow to fight expenses charges

Three Labour MPs and a Conservative peer in the UK said today they would defend themselves against charges of false accounting arising from their claims for parliamentary expenses.

Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer announced this morning that charges under the Theft Act were being brought against Scunthorpe MP and former agriculture minister Elliot Morley, Bury North MP David Chaytor, and Livingston’s Jim Devine, as well as Conservative peer Lord Hanningfield.