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back to article MP expenses leaker may never be found

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it is ending its investigation into who leaked politicians' expenses information to the media. The Met's Economic and Specialist Crime Command met lawyers from the Crown Prosecution Service yesterday to discuss misuse of Parliamentary expenses. The group will meet again, but for now there …

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  1. jon
    Flame

    "misuse of Parliamentary expenses"

    Should be considered fraud and treason - sacking isn't enough, bring criminal proceedings! They should all be audited.

    When there's only 1/2 of the parliament left, hopefully they'll do what they should have done over a year ago and hold a new election.

    http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/please-go/

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "we have looked at the likelihood of a successful prosecution"

    There isn't a jury in the land who would convict the person who leaked this data.

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  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    United?

    Yes - they were all united against him!!!

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  4. Steven
    Thumb Up

    Just spat out my tea

    "After watching this government's repeated failure to look after our private data, it is hard to feel sympathy when information about how they pissed our money up the wall is leaked."

    That made my day.

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  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    SO basically...

    ... its perfectly fine to sell on data containing credit card numbers and addresses then? Ok thanks for that info , good to know......

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  6. John Bayly
    Thumb Up

    Whilst I'm extremely pleased...

    I'd always assumed that it's the job of the police to collect evidence, and that it's the CPS that should decide whether to prosecute. Can somebody correct me on this, or is it that the CPS instructed the police to drop the investigation and that journalists ignore the distinction.

    Still bloody pleased the common sense prevails, and that Michael Martin suffers the ignominy of being the first MP in over 300 years to be ousted from position of Speaker of the British House of Commons.

    Time to crack open the case of beer under my desk.

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  7. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    Solidarity

    I'd give the criminal safe harbour if there was a witch-hunt... sorry I mean investigation, the person is a tantamount to a national hero for releasing the info into the public domain.

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  8. Maverick
    Happy

    Success?

    > The Metropolitan Police has confirmed it is ending its investigation into who leaked politicians' expenses information to the media.

    > we have looked at the likelihood of a successful prosecution

    no shit Sherlock? you think that a jury just might not be on the side of the Crown here? awesome

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  9. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    I wonder...

    If he'll put his move out of the official residence on to expenses.

    Ermine trimmed one please...

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  10. Christoph
    Black Helicopters

    They were probably ordered to drop it

    None of the politicians of any party want to see the leaker identified - and made a national hero. Plod will have been given the word to drop the whole thing as quick as possible.

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  11. J Ford
    Thumb Down

    Follow the money

    It is good that the data came out, but at the same time someone has profited from their dishonesty by selling it to the media, which is not OK with me and suggests their motives may not have been purely one of whistleblowing. Corruption/dishonesty is a bad thing to occur in all levels of public service and they deserve to be exposed.

    There is also the question of whether the leaker had any party political motiviation behind leaking the data and who it was sold to. I'd like to know, regardless of whether this is something prosecutable or not.

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  12. Cameron Colley

    RE: SO basically...

    Credit card numbers, perhaps not, but they are our credit cards after all. Addresses, certainly, my employer knows my address why shouldn't we know the addresses of our servants.

    These are not private citizens, they are our paid servants, somewhere along the line they've made us forget that.

    Putting it another way -- if you paid a butler 1/4 of your wages and a percentage of every product you purchased wouldn't you want to know where they lived and what they spent their expenses on.

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  13. Steve

    Let's hope they never find him

    He can become an urban legend that we use to scare MPs.

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  14. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    Re: Just spat out my tea

    This is called: KFOT alert "Keyboard Full of Tea" alert.

    And if you want your tea to go on your keyboard again see the mash take on it:

    http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/politics/politics-headlines/bunch-of-shits-turn-on-chief-shit-200905181767/

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  15. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Ok, copied and pasted...

    ... from the other post that about to drop off "Earlier Stories" listing...

    (I wish this was not a joke alert - and I usually vote Labour)

    "Her Majesty announced today that she will be unavailable to add her seal to parliamentary decrees.

    She explained to her PM (GB) that events such as that termed the "credit crunch", indebtedness of the realm, MPs making a mockery of the Court of the Commons and unprecedented resignation of speaker of the Commons Court have forced her to review the role of government as decided in the Commons.

    By withholding her seal Her Majesty has created a constitutional crisis in which the Commons cannot meaningfully govern the country.

    She further explained that in matters of such importance in the realm it is essential to move forwards as swiftly as possible.

    In another matter that is partly related HM asked for person or persons unknown and responsible for providing details of malpractice in the Court of the Commons to present themselves to the Privy Council as a matter of urgency as she will confer a knighthood to each and all involved."

    "Senior civil servants rejoiced with joy upon hearing the news however if appearances were anything to go by, lost their gusto soon afterwards once they learned that Her Majesty's interim measures are to limit all salaries to a maximum of 90,000 GBP per anal effective immediately.

    Quite a large flock of civil servants were seen to be running in the direction of the Fees Office located in Court of the Commons and were heard to be asking for early retirement based on final salary before the cuts are due to be introduced."

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  16. Steve Harris
    Thumb Down

    What about the innocent victims

    The leaked data did not only contain personal contain about MPs, their account numbers etc, but of MPs staff, anyone having done paid work for a MP, MPs secretaries/researchers and their bank details and addresses. Itemised phoned bills with number who had contacted MPs in confidence, where are their rights to protection and justice as victims of crime. The Police and CPS have today torn up the Data Protect Act by picking and choosing what crimes they pursue.

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  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Re: Whilst I'm extremely pleased...

    >I'd always assumed that it's the job of the police to collect evidence, and that it's the CPS that should decide whether to prosecute.

    The police collect evidence and if they think there is a chance of conviction pass it on to the CPS who decide whether to prosecute. If they passed on everything they investigated the CPS would be overwhelmed.

    >and that Michael Martin suffers the ignominy of being the first MP in over 300 years to be ousted from position of Speaker of the British House of Commons.

    No, he resigned. He probably would have if he hadn't but he did so he doesn't.

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  18. David S

    Hmm...

    @ J Ford, I don't think this was likely to have been party political. All the parties seem to have been pretty much equally damaged (although I didn't see an awful lot of hassle for the Lib Dems, other than some piss-taking for claiming on biscuits...) Nevertheless, the "Public Interest" thing was probably extremely salient; given that some of the more egregious fraud would have been covered up in the "edited highlights", I rather think the perpetrator is owed a debt of thanks. Since he was paid for the data, I reckon that's even stevens.

    I wonder whether the brown envelope was expensed...

    @Cameron, I don't know about that analogy. If I were paying a valet*, then it's no business of mine what he spends his wages on, whatever proportion of my income they may be. But if I were paying my valet to handle my finances and household for me as well, and suddenly discovered that he was living rather significantly beyond the means of the wage I was paying him, and at the same time the household silver was disappearing, a mysterious hidden webcam turned up in my teenage daughter's bedroom and I kept losing my wallet, well then I'd probably start asking questions. And looking for new help...

    ...And giving serious thought to doing my own washing up for a change...

    * slightly more likely than a butler...

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  19. John Smith Gold badge
    Joke

    22/06/09 election

    Hurrah!

    Its for the Speaker.

    Oh.

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  20. Frank

    @Cameron Colley re. RE:Soo Basically

    "..if you paid a butler 1/4 of your wages and a percentage of every product you purchased wouldn't you want to know where they lived and what they spent their expenses on."

    No, I'd just want to get a job as a butler to a wealthy family.

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  21. Anonymous Coward
    IT Angle

    I was really hoping he was found...

    So he could be rewarded for uncovering the corruption everyone knew was present...

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  22. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    investigation?

    The person that leaked the documents should be given a bloody medal!

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  23. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Rest of World

    The rest of the world must be laughing at this; to think the UK has a seat on the UN Security Council.

    I just found out today (watching the news) they they say prayers in the commons before it sits. Amazing - and they are not even multi-faith so I have no idea what Hindus, Moslems, Jews and athiests are supposed to do while they are being said:

    http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/business/prayers.cfm

    Then I looked around that site and found it that it's operating like it was centuries ago - the Royal Navy modernised and got rid of free Pussers Rum but MP's have kept their snuff (p8) :

    http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/g07.pdf

    Actually, the rest of the world seems disinterested in this MP expenses controversy - the BBC news release on DIGG only received 6 diggs :

    http://digg.com/politics/Under_fire_Speaker_to_step_down

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  24. Pitpat
    Gates Horns

    Telegraph

    Well. UKIP did quite well out of this one and the flier campaign started in our area on pretty much the same day..... The Telegraph gets quite a few (unrelated) references in the UKIP policy documentation....

    This information was in the public interest. But it has been targeted, released, controlled and restricted. Someone is using this to try and change the political landscape. Who? I don't know. But it worries me in the same way that little message box that pops up on my screen whenever I type in my credit card details with the words "Yum, Yum" does.

    I am not accusing any newspaper or political party (Mainly because I am far to cowardly and don't have anything to back up my speculation). But take a look at who the winners and losers from the fall out are!

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  25. AD

    Paying for stolen financial data

    The morality of paying for stolen data may be questionable to us, but it is quite acceptable to the government. Last year, the inland revenue bought the bank account details of offshore accounts in Lichtenstein that had been stolen from an ex-employee:

    http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/tax/article3423610.ece

    MPs were rather quieter in their condemnation of that deal.

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  26. Tony Paulazzo
    Happy

    Is the tide finally turning?

    wackie jaquie brought to task over banning a DJ and expensing porn, politicians running scared and calling themselves the publics servants on TV, the EU taking UK to court over privacy invasion, the stand down on DNA deletion, no three strikes and out...

    Just waiting to hear the national ID has been massively scaled back and BT will be dropping Webwise, aka Phorm, aka 121media to make my month.

    After all, the BBC is teaching the masses about botnets and Trojans (ie, things that watch what you do online), which is a small step from how BT advertise how Webwise works...

    http://www2.bt.com/static/i/btretail/webwise/

    >against online fraud by checking the sites you visit... ...For example, if you search for a weekend trip to Paris or visit pages related to Paris, BT Webwise would replace the standard ads that would normally appear with advertising... ...After assessing the findings, we will make further announcements on this Website concerning the launch of the service for BT Total Broadband customers<

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  27. John Bayly

    @Chris W

    Thanks for clearing that up about the CPS. As for him being ousted, I stand by that statement seeing as he clung on until it was even clear to him that he had no support. Saying "I'll go for the unity of parliament" conveniently ignores the fact that he had absolutely no choice.

    He may believe that he's saved face this way, but those of us outside the wall erected for MPs to hide behind will remember Michael Martin for being so useless that MPs had to break with 300 years of tradition to get shot of him.

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  28. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Employment

    The butler analogy only works if the butler somehow forces you to employ him. I've never heard of home service racketeering but I guess it might happen.

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  29. raving angry loony

    abusive

    Good. The person who did that deserves a medal, not a criminal record. The MPs, however, do deserve a criminal record for their blatant abuse of their position.

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  30. This post has been deleted by its author

  31. Charles Smith

    This crime must be referred

    Now that police have failed this terrible breakdown in data security should be referred to the Information Commissioners Office where the matter will be pursued with their usual rigor mortis.

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  32. Alan

    I wish they would find the person...

    ...who leaked the information on the expenses. We need to know so we can make him/her our next prime minister, as this person seems to have the interests of the public at heart, which is more than can be said about any of the sorry bunch of crooks who are ruining - sorry, I mean running the country at the moment.

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  33. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    On a more positive note...

    1 - should we see job descriptions on electoral forms.

    Post: MP

    Salary: lots of dosh

    Office expenses: tons of dosh

    And for incumbents seeking/standing for re-election an additional line

    Personal expenses: hah-hah (as if it could be believed)

    2 - the above to apply to MEP, SMPs, MPs, Councillors, ...

    Do you know what your MEP earns, what his office expenses are and what has been claimed as personal expenses?

    It seems that election time is a good time to bring these formally to public attention

    3 - similarly so for ministers standing for re-election

    with additional line of:

    Present position: government minister for ...

    present salary: incredible!

    4 - to demonstrate leadership regarding indebtedness of UK MPs to vote for a salary cut. (I thought not)

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  34. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    How convenient is it

    that this has taken all the heat off the bankers?

    I also have to laugh at all the current frothing at the mouth over MP's allowances/expenses. It only confirms what some of us have known for decades.

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  35. TeeCee Gold badge

    @John Bayly

    I'm with you on this.

    Sir John Trevor, the speaker in 1695, also "resigned" (i.e. jumped before he was pushed).

    The funniest thing for me about this whole thing is how the Telegraph have sat on the detail and are doing a daily expose of an individual member's expenses. It must be fun in the HoC tea room every morning as the honourable members open their copies, one goes "OHSHIT!" and the others breathe a collective sigh of relief. A sort of political version of the Chinese Water Torture, if you like.

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  36. Cameron Colley

    @David S

    The key word was "expenses" -- but I prefer your analogy anyhow :-D.

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  37. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    And the (ex)speaker spoke thusly..

    "I always feel the House is at its best when it is united.."

    Like when it authorises illegal wars or gets caught with many of it's fingers in the taxpayers' till.

    The rest of the time it's just an embarrassing, inefficient and ineffectual bitching match.

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  38. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    hmm

    Why did they think this had a public interest defence (even though the person who did it made a hellavolate money) whilst the leaking of the fact that the home office hired illegal immigrants wasn't?

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  39. Anonymous Coward
    Alert

    Well I never...

    Our postie has just hand-delivered a BNP flyer along with our mail.

    Things are definitely changing if the Post Office are happy being associated with the BNP these days.

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  40. Secretgeek

    @ Well I never...

    We got one the other day too.

    Amused to see the distinct lack of anyone on the leaflet that appeared to be of a non-Anglo Saxon origin. Although given the fact that they used a Polish Spitfire, chances are the people pictured are Lithuanian immigrants or something similar. That would be just too funny.

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  41. IanPotter
    Black Helicopters

    @Pitpat

    What the Torygraph have a political agenda in the use of this information? Surely not...?

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  42. David Neil

    @ AC 11:27

    The Royal Mail has to deliver it, it's not illegal(yet) to express an opinion which the majority disagree with.

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  43. Ascylto

    Can you imagine ...

    the Filth finding out whodunnit and then the CPS heading for prosecution?

    The only job this person could apply for (and get) would be that of Prime Minister.

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