ROBERTSON REPORTS LORD TO POLICE OVER EXPENSES

ROBERTSON REPORTS LORD TO POLICE OVER EXPENSES

SNP Westminster Leader, Angus Robertson MP, has reported Lord Bhatia
to the police over his expenses after it was reported in the Sunday
Times that the peer had claimed more than £20,000 in allowances for a
small rented flat occupied by his brother. Last week he could not even
remember the flat's address.

Mr Robertson's complaint follows a previous one he submitted about
Labour peer Baroness Uddin who is being investigated over allegations
she claimed £100,000 in allowances for a flat that is reportedly lying
empty.

Commenting Mr Robertson said:

“The SNP has long campaigned for stricter controls on expenses at
Westminster and believe it would be better served by adopting the
system that successfully works in the Scottish Parliament.

“That somebody can claim an for a flat they don't know the address of
as their main residence beggars belief, and we need full and frank
answers from Lord Bhatia.

“This report just highlights how the House of Lords is unelected,
unaccountable and completely unbelievable. That is one of the reasons
the SNP does not appoint members to the House of Lords.

"I will be writing to the police and the House of Lords authorities
asking them to investigate this report.

"This case just underlines how the Labour government was wrong to
remove proposals from the Parliamentary Standards Bill to make it an
offence for an MP to intentionally fail to declare financial
interests.

"It is noteworthy that the amendments to remove those proposals came
from the Lords. A further example for why this anachronism should be
abolished."