Labour MPs who cheat on expenses will be deselected

[panzerfaust]

Source: Guardian (UK)

Any Labour MP found to have made improper expenses claims will be ­automatically deselected and barred from standing at the next general election as the party desperately tries to overcome the constitutional crisis facing parliament.

The Guardian has learned that the ­radical proposal is expected to be agreed next week by Labour's national executive, a move that acknowledges the deep anger among voters to the escalating scandal over MPs' claims...

..In another rollercoaster day which saw the first ministerial casualty of the affair and signs of simmering public anger, Scotland Yard and the Crown Prosecution Service announced they were setting up a joint panel to consider multiple allegations that MPs have broken the law in their expenses claims. The police said they were acting because they had received so many complaints from the public...

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/may/15/mps-expenses-labour-deselected

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The British Government has been collapsing this past week, and, as best as I can tell, very few in this country seem to be aware of it.

It is not just the party in power - but ALL of Parliament is caught up in a great scandal of cheating, lying, and self-enrichment. There is talk of - literally - throwing ALL MPs out, and of criminal prosecutions.

[MrModerate]

1. But how will they live without their selects? And how quickly does the wound heal? n/t

[LeftishBrit]

2. Deselection is basically the British term for losing your primary. I'm not quite sure how the

national party thinks it can ensure this in all the constituencies; but they are obviously pretty desperate.

[dipsydoodle]

3. The Labour party , for instance,

would not let them stand for their party. If they wanted to stand would need to be as an independant of some description - Banjo Lessons on the National Health whatever.

[LeftishBrit]

4. At the moment...

I suspect that 'Banjo Lessons on the National Health' would probably get more votes than Labour.

Sadly, I fear that the Tories may win, though they've been involved in the scandal too.

[depakid]

7. Yep- I'm afraid Gordo's toast

This latest bit just smacks of desperation.

[oldironside]

5. The British Electoral System

Britain's electoral system is a sort of archaic joke to every one except those MPs (members of parliament) who've got their snouts in the trough. Basically, the country is divided into 646 constituencies and the local party in each of these decides who will be it's candidate - a process called selection. Deselection is every MPs worst nightmare, when the local party decides that they no longer want that particular person to represent the party. They could stand again, but as an independent, without the backing of the party machine. MPs expenses claims (i.e. unavoidable expenses to help them do their job) have just been published by a national newspaper. Members have claimed, amongst other things, for the cost of pornographic films, two or more 72" plasma TVs and having the moat around their house cleaned out, so expect to hear more of this deselection thing in the near future.

[keopeli]

6. Thanks for the info, and welcome to DU!

:hi:

[T_i_B]

8. Good if they actually do kick out the bad eggs.

The trouble is that political parties are more likely to use deselection if an MP has not been towing the party line then if they've been caught with their snout in the trough, which is why I'm currently banging on about introducing recall elections so that the general public can force by-elections if they feel that their MP is unfit to hold office.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5665652