Ex-Labour MPs to face expenses trial after losing final appeal, separate trials at London's Southwark Crown Court kick off 22nd Novermber

Dear All

Once they had a literally a job for life, next minute they are facing prison terms.

It is a funny old life.

Jim Devine, David Chaytor and Elliot Morley are former Labour MPs accused of expenses fraud today lost their final bid to avoid criminal trials.

Rather than face justice and jury of their peers they have argued that the Bill of Rights of 1689 gives them protection.

When the Bill of Rights was written in 1689, one can assume that it was written in good faith.

So, would the Bill of Rights sanction criminality by MPs?

I would say no.

This means that Jim Devine, David Chaytor and Elliot Morley haven’t the right to be tried by their fellow MPs in the House of Commons.

David Chaytor, Elliot Morley and Jim Devine all deny theft by false accounting.

And given the outrage of the public, they won’t get the sympathy vote standing in the dock of London's Southwark Crown Court.

The Supreme Court ruled they were not protected by Parliamentary privilege.

I have to say that the UK Supreme Court has gone up in my mind after they have handed down several good decisions recently.

Naturally the Labour Party immediately cut them loose and disowned them, they strayed off the reservation.

And the Labour Party was quick to bury them deep.

They will now face separate trials at London's Southwark Crown Court, the first is due to begin on November 22.

They say that all political careers end in failure but a few ends up in the clink.

Party politics aside this is a sad end for anyone to finish public life, you enter politics with a clean sheet and it is up to people to make sure they don’t blot their copy book.

You can be an arse before you enter politics and after you leave politics but not during it.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University