The Speaker's scapegoat:
Official who signed off MPs' expenses didn't
even have accountancy qualification
By Simon Walters
Last updated at 5:06 PM on 10th May 2009
The row over MPs' expenses has intensified after it was revealed the
parliamentary finance chief who signs off their claims had no formal
accountancy skills - and that he feared he would be sacked when he
warned the Commons Speaker the system was being abused.
Andrew Walker, who runs the Commons Fees Office responsible for MPs'
wages and expenses, told Speaker Michael Martin more than five years ago
that he must act to curb excessive claims.
But Westminster sources say the Speaker told him not to meddle, and
'punished' him by refusing to speak to him for weeks at a time.
Andrew Walker
It is understood that Mr Walker felt he could be dismissed from his
£125,000-a-year job as director general of resources at the Commons
after issuing the warning.
Now friends say he has been made a 'scapegoat' by MPs who have justified
scandalous expense claims on the grounds that Mr Walker approved them.
The disclosures came as:
* Labour's support plummeted to 23 per cent - its lowest since
polling began.
* A raft of new revelations included that Sinn Fein MPs claimed for
rent on properties in London despite never taking their seats and that
Tony Blair had a £296,000 mortgage on a house he bought for £30,000.
* Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey claims there is a
'culture of abuse' and Parliament is now at its 'lowest ebb in living
memory'.
* Cabinet Minister Hazel Blears was accused of avoiding £18,000 of
capital gains tax, having persuaded the taxman a flat she sold was her
main home, while claiming parliamentary expenses on it as her second
home.
* The Mail on Sunday established that Andrew Walker's boss Dr
Malcolm Jack has homes in London, Portugal and South Africa as well as a
grace-and-favour mansion in Westminster.
The properties owned by Dr Jack, who earns £150,000 a year as Commons
clerk and chief executive, are worth more than £1.8million.
His £2.8million grace-and-favour mansion in Parliament Street recently
underwent a taxpayer-funded £100,000 refurbishment, including a £39,000
kitchen.
The upgrade sparked fury from some MPs.
Dr Jack, who is in overall charge of parliamentary accounting, has
called in police to investigate the leak of MPs' expenses, prompting
claims that it was intended as a distraction.
The 62-year-old, who lives with partner Robert Borsje, is close to Mr
Martin and remained loyal during the controversy over the Speaker's own
expenses claims.
He and Mr Walker were given more power over expenses following a
reorganisation of Commons officials ordered by Mr Martin.
Astonishingly, Mr Walker was put in charge of MPs' expenses even though
he was not qualified to hold the post.
He was sent to college to take a £15,000 course in business studies, at
taxpayers' expense, while in his job.
Lifelong civil servant Mr Walker became finance and administration
director at the Commons in 1997 after a low-profile role as assistant
director of human resources at the Inland Revenue.
But his degree in Ancient Near Eastern Studies from Birmingham
University was of little use when faced with the complex financial
matters of the Commons Fees Office.
One source said: 'Andrew did his best to keep control of things but it
was an impossible job, and he was not really equipped to do it. He knew
there were things going on that shouldn't be and drew them to the
Speaker's attention.
'The Speaker didn't want to know. His own expenses were coming under
scrutiny and the last thing he wanted to do was draw attention to the
issue. Andrew was told to keep his nose out and to turn a Nelsonian
blind eye.
'The Speaker would go for ages without speaking to him, his way of
"punishing" Andrew. It was a disgrace. Now MPs are blaming him for the
trouble they are in by saying he approved their expenses. He has every
right to be angry.'
Another source said: 'A while back it looked as if Andrew might lose his
job and you can't blame him for thinking that he might as well keep his
head down. Why should he sacrifice his career for the sake of others?'
Mr Walker's return to favour with the Speaker coincided with Mr Martin's
surprise choice of Dr Jack - who is also a successful writer who spends
much of the parliamentary breaks at his homes in Portugal and South
Africa - as Commons clerk and chief executive.
The Speaker ordered a shake-up after Serjeant-At-
Peterkin was effectively sacked in 2007 for querying Mr Martin's
expenses.
In the reorganisation, Dr Jack and Mr Walker - who was promoted to his
current job - were given more power over staff as well as MPs' pay and
expenses. Critics said the Speaker had surrounded himself with cronies.
Instead of selecting someone with a financial background, the Speaker
gave Mr Walker the go-ahead to study for a Master of Business
Administration degree at Warwick University, approving the £5,000-a-year
fees and granting him time off from the Commons for his studies.
Mr Walker, who is 55 and married with three children, lives in
Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. He was unavailable for comment, while the
Speaker's office declined to comment.
It is believed the Tories may be the target next week as more damaging
expense claims are dripped out to the public.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey today warned a 'culture of
abuse' had in Westminster expenses, and declared MPs only had themselves
to blame.
'The moral authority of Parliament is at its lowest ebb in living
memory,' the cross-bench peer said.
'Already our MPs are seeking a scapegoat. The first reaction was to
shoot the messenger, blaming so-called chequebook journalism. Yet
they've only themselves to blame.
'The latest revelations show it was not just a few MPs with their noses
in the trough, but a culture of abuse. While their constituents are
suffering from the credit crunch and many are out of work, they've had
access to unrivalled funds.'
He added: 'To me, what's most worrying about this sad, sordid and
scandalous affair is that it reveals an ambiguity among our politicians
in their attitudes to public service.'
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