Conservative member of Britain’s House of Lords charged with false accounting in expenses row
By APFriday, July 16, 2010
UK peer charged with false accounting of expenses
LONDON — A Conservative member of the House of Lords has been charged with false accounting over his expenses claims, Britain’s chief prosecutor said Friday.
John Taylor — also known as Lord Taylor of Warwick — is accused of dishonestly claiming more than 11,000 pounds ($17,000) for accommodation and mileage in 2006 and 2007, said Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer.
Taylor, a former barrister who became the Conservative Party’s first black member in the House of Lords in 1996, is due to appear at a London court on Aug. 13.
The party said the 57-year-old has resigned from his position as the party whip. Whips are party enforcers who ensure members attend important debates and vote according to party policy.
Taylor was the sixth person to face criminal charges of false accounting following a scandal over lawmakers’ inflated expenses.
Leaked documents revealed that hundreds of lawmakers in the previous Parliament had used taxpayers’ money to fund everything from swanky second homes to horse manure and a mole catcher. Scores of them were either forced to resign or decided not to run for office again.
