The proposed release date of the Kelly Report on the 4th November as reported in the Times and the Telegraph it is likely to ban the employment of family members, something which the Sunlight ‘Disinfecting Parliament’ has already suggested,

While many family members work hard for Members, the abuse of this leniency has shown that a prohibition is necessary. A ban on politicians’ employment of relatives is already standard practice in the US and Germany and should become so here as well.

In order to combat the ban wives and husbands  of MPs, are making contingency plans in order to preserve their own skin.  This action is a co-ordinated swapping of jobs with one another.

Currently there are about 200 MPs who employ wives, husbands, children and other relations.  After the Derek Conway affair in 2008 the further employment of children was banned.

The relatives believe they have fallen victim to the Commons expenses scandal. Some are determined to defeat Kelly and have consulted lawyers, while others have referred their complaints to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, alleging discrimination.

“We have had the conversation about swapping jobs endlessly,” said Burt. “They are water-cooler conversations. It would be an option. We did work out a very complicated ‘giant wife swap’ where you all move one husband along. It would be an option.”

She said the Kelly proposals discriminated against hard-working employees. “We know there have been people who have done over the system, but there are not many. It would appear they are looking for scapegoats,” she said.

The row over spouses’ jobs comes as new figures obtained by The Sunday Times show that the total spent by MPs on their staff in 2008-9 went up more than 8% to £59.96m.  Jacqui Smith’s husband and parliamentary assistant Richard Timney currently earns between £27, 780 and £40,052.

Although Kelly’s ban would stop MPs’ relatives working for them, it would not prevent them finding employment with others at Westminster. The spouses are making their plans as Kelly consults lawyers about whether his ban would be legal under unemployment law. Some members of his committee are lobbying for current employees to be allowed to stay.

As stated on Question Time last week Sir Christopher Kelly will make his findings public next week and he has already stated that he finds the employment of family members ‘odd’.

Published on October 26th, 2009 by chris