BNP’s Sleazebuster Michael Barnbrook: The Man Behind the Exposure of the Westminster Expenses Scandal
May 27, 2009 by BNP News
Filed under National News
The controlled media continues to hush up the fact that it was the British National Party’s very own sleazebuster, Michael Barnbrook, who initiated the entire review of MPs’ expenses.
Mr Barnbrook, a former Metropolitan police inspector, who is also the BNP’s spokesman on police matters, was the one who first raised the matter with a written complaint to Mr John Lyon, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, against Tory MP Derek Conway. It was that complaint which resulted in the first review of MPs’ expenses.
“The Tory Conway was suspended from the House for ten days, ordered to repay money and had the Conservative whip removed, which will result in him standing down at the next General Election,” Mr Barnbrook said.
On 21st April, 2009, some weeks before the disclosures in The Daily Telegraph, the Government announced interim measures to deal with some of the issues causing public concern in relation to Parliamentary allowances.
A full review is being conducted by the Committee on Standards in Public Life during June and July, 2009, with the results being revealed in the autumn.
Mr Barnbrook has written to Sir Christopher Kelly, Chairman of the Committee, requesting to give oral evidence at the inquiry relating to the role of the Parliamentary Commissioner and the Committee on Standards and Privileges.
“I was also the individual who wrote to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards on 17th February, 2008, asking him to investigate Mr Michael Martin for his use of air miles earned on official business to fly members of his family business class from Glasgow to London for a New Year break,” Mr Barnbrook told BNP News.
“Despite several letters between Michael and the Parliamentary Commissioner and Sir George Young, Chairman of the Committee on Standards and Privileges, the request for an investigation was refused.”
Shortly thereafter, Mr Martin was forced to resign. “I was obviously too naive to realise that even though I had submitted three pages of evidence to support my complaint, the BNP was not going to be given credit for the downfall of the third most important individual in the country,” Mr Barnbrook continued.
He also wrote to Mr Lyon on 17th February, 2008, asking him to investigate a report that Mr James Purnell, MP, had informed the Commons Fees Office that his London flat was his second home in order to maximise his housing allowance and had informed HM Customs and Revenue that it was his main residence when he sold it, thus exempting the payment of capital gains tax.
“Mr Lyon refused to accept the complaint, saying that there was no evidence to substantiate it,” Mr Barnbrook said. “He, as Parliamentary Commissioner, had the authority under Standing Order 149 to demand from any Member information that might assist him in his investigation – something which he refused to do.
“As a result, I was left with no choice other than to pass all the correspondence to HM Customs and Revenue, which I did on 29th February, 2008. As a result, a resolution was passed in the House relating to MPs’ second homes and the payment of capital gains tax. However, almost a year later, the resolution has still not been enacted by the House of Commons authorities, an indication of how urgent they view the matter.”
Mr Barnbrook is the number two candidate on the BNP’s London list for the European elections.
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