Commons Speaker John Bercow in expenses row

Sun Nov 15 2009 16:56:16

Commons Speaker John Bercow has denied accusations made in the Daily Telegraph that he ordered a £45,000 revamp of his grace-and-favour apartment in the Palace of Westminster.

Soon after being elected Speaker in June, Mr Bercow announced that £20,000 was being spent on refurbishment of the historic apartment to make it suitable for a family with three young children.

But the Daily Telegraph reported that documents released under the Freedom of Information Act showed that the true cost of the work was more than twice this sum, coming in at £45,581.

The news comes as Mr Bercow endorsed a radical reform of the MPs' expenses system, saying MPs will have to accept an element of "rough justice".

John Bercow told BBC One's Andrew Marr show that diluting Sir Christopher Kelly's proposals was "not an option". Some MPs had hoped Mr Bercow would call for the new Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority to review them.

Mr Bercow said: "The public perception of the way in which we operate is so negative that it is necessary to accept a wholesale, fundamental and I think irrevocable change... There's an element of rough justice, but it is necessary."

Mr Bercow announced on taking office that he would no longer claim the MPs' second home allowance.

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