MEPs vote to keep their gravy train expenses secret

THE European Parliament was branded ‘outrageous’ last night after refusing to reveal how MEPs spend their £3,900-amonth taxpayer-funded expenses.

The decision follows a year of debate over whether to increase transparency into the £35million-a-year allowances system.

Currently, MEPs can claim payouts for hotels, restaurant and travel – but do not have to provide receipts, publish how they spend it or even face being audited. The money, known as the general expenditure allowance (GEA), is paid as a lump sum into the MEPs’ personal bank accounts on top of their salary. In total, it costs taxpayers 40million euros (£35million) a year.

The decision to vote down greater transparency – after years of public pressure for reform – was made behind closed doors on Monday by the European Parliament’s bureau. This consists of parliamentary president Antonio Tajani and vice-presidents, who are also MEPs.

Conservative MEP David Campbell Bannerman said: ‘The perfect answer is to leave the EU, which we’re doing. The whole system is outrageous. It’s a very patchy system and the bureau doesn’t want to do anything about it. Sometimes no one knows quite where the money goes.’

Campaign group Transparency International branded the decision ‘absolutely scandalous’, while German MEP Sven Giegold, who has backed reform, described it as a ‘shot in the foot for European democracy’. The only change agreed by the bureau will see the GEA paid into a separate account as opposed to MEPs’ personal one. The rules will not be re- evaluated for another five years.

British MEPs of all parties – who make up 73 of the overall 751 seats in the European Parliament – have their expenses audited and the breakdowns published.