The Expenses Scandal is Over
Finally, the ex-Tory peer in the House of Lords, Lord Taylor, was given a ruling in a court in the UK. He was sent to jail for 12 months for falsely claiming expenses at the amount of nearly 12,000 GBP and thus the case became a significant legal landmark that would remain a common law rule in the future.
The Tory Lord Taylor of Warwick was a prominent barrister and the first black Conservative peer. His impressive legal career leaves no room to suggest that exactly such a person, so familiar with the peculiarities and requirements of the law, would actually break it in such a gross way. Nevertheless, the Lord has claimed an disproportionate sum of money to cover his expenses. He has listed his Oxford house as his main residence and has claimed travel expenses plus expenses generated while residing in London. However, it was discovered that the peer has never actually lived in his property in Oxford and has mainly resided in London and that his travel expenses would not amount to more than a couple of thousands that he would be able to claim.
What happened with Lord Taylor’s case strongly concerned the Parliament and the people from the high courts. Such precedents might not be a unique exception and it is a probable case that others are also violating the law by daring to over claim expenses. Definitely, MPs and peers do not use cheap flights around the world. In addition to that, their travel expenses might be overestimated as they indicate one property as their own and actually reside in another, rather convenient one. The fact that Lord Taylor said before the court that he has been advised to do so by his colleagues is disturbing enough and might lead to further investigations in the area.
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