British lawmakers expenses

AP

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LONDON (AP) — Drain the moat, tear down the duck house, and fire the housekeeper. British lawmakers face strict new allowance rules following a scandal over their outrageous expense claims.

Christopher Kelly, chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, reacts during a press conference in London. Photo: AP

The rules published Wednesday will ban legislators from using expenses to fund swank second homes and outlaw the use of taxpayers’ money to employ family members as staff.

Christopher Kelly, an ex–civil servant, said an advisory committee he leads has drafted a new regime "shorn of the special features which gave scope for exploitation."

Party leaders have promised to adopt all his recommendations, despite some protests from legislators.

Leaked documents showed how lawmakers manipulated housing rules for profit, and attempted to bill the public for items including porn movies, horse manure and an ornamental duck house. In one notorious case, a lawmaker demanded reimbursement for the cost of cleaning the moat surrounding his country mansion.

"The system in future will be different — it will be open, it will be more transparent, it will be fair," Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.

Legislators will be banned from using public money for cleaners or gardeners and tighter rules will restrict spending on meals and transport.

House of Commons lawmakers claim an average of US $223,000 a year in expense payments. The U.S. Congress allots each House and Senate office between $1.4 million and $1.9 million to cover expenses.