Margaret Moran
Encyclopedia
Margaret Moran is a former Labour Party
politician
in the United Kingdom
. She was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Luton South
from 1997
to 2010.
Moran was involved in the 2009 Parliamentary expenses scandal
, when the Daily Telegraph revealed she had claimed £22,500 on expenses to treat dry rot
in a house 100 miles from her constituency. As a result she announced that she would stand down at the 2010 election. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
began an investigation into her conduct. Moran was also caught up in another scandal in March 2010 when she was one of four retiring Labour MPs who were found to have offered their services as paid lobbyists to an undercover reporter. According to the Telegraph on 13 October 2010 detectives from the Met Police had spent several months looking into expenses claims made by her and she was expected to be charged within weeks for false accounting or fraud. She will be the fifth Labour MP to be charged, the others being former Labour MPs David Chaytor
, Jim Devine
and Eric Illsley
and former Labour Minister Elliot Morley
, whilst a sixth serving Labour MP and former Minister Denis MacShane
has been suspended from the Labour Party as well.
On 6 September 2011 it was announced by the Crown Prosecution Service that Moran would face 21 criminal charges for wrongful expense claims. She is to stand trial in the Crown Court.
to Irish
parents Patrick and Mary. She went to St Ursula's High School (now St Ursula's Convent School), a Roman Catholic girls' school in Greenwich
, and then to St Mary's College (now St Mary's University College), a Roman Catholic college in Strawberry Hill
, Twickenham
. She subsequently attended the University of Birmingham
, gaining a Bachelor of Social Science
degree in Geography and Sociology in 1978.
Council, and leader of the council between 1993 and 1995. At the same time, Moran stood in the 1992 general election
in Carshalton and Wallington, finishing in third place. Moran was also the director of a Housing Association, national President of the housing branch of the NALGO trade union, vice chair of the association of London Authorities Vice and Chair of the Association of Metropolitian Authorities.
, she was selected to stand for Labour in Luton South
through an all-women shortlist. While this method of selection was subsequently declared illegal in January 1996 as it breached sex discrimination laws, candidates already selected remained in place. At the election she was elected, gaining the seat from the Conservatives.
Following her re-election in the 2001 election
she was promoted to the position of assistant whip attached to HM Treasury
between 2003 and 2005. While serving as a whip, Moran was obliged to vote along with the Government line, and did so. She was re-elected for a third term in the 2005 election
, with a reduced majority. There had been significant opposition among Luton
's large Muslim population to her support for the 2003 invasion of Iraq
. Moran supported plans to negotiate with Spain
over the status of Gibraltar
, describing Gibraltar as "effectively an outpost colony within a major European partner", although she accepted that any change must have the consent of Gibraltarians. From 2006,
Moran was a member of the Home Affairs Committee, where she took an interest in helping female victims of domestic violence
and in issues of child protection. She was for a time chairwoman of the All-Party Group on Domestic Violence and worked with Women's Aid to launch online projects such as WomenSpeak and KidSpeak.
Moran's interest in child protection led her to go to the Internet Governance Forum
at Rio de Janeiro
in November 2007 and was involved in the launch of the UK Internet Governance Forum. on 6 March 2008. Moran became a member of the Hansard Society
Commission on the Scrutiny of Parliament. She also worked with the Fawcett Society
producing a publication on women's participation on the internet.
MP Kelvin Hopkins
. However, it was not until May 2009 that the full details of her claims were revealed.
Revelations of the expense claims caused Moran to announce she would not stand in the 2010 general election, and she was later barred from doing so by the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party. Speaking in Parliament, the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown
described Moran's behaviour as "totally unacceptable".
In the run up to the 2005 general election, Moran sent out thousands of unsolicited letters to her constituents. Following a complaint to the Commons authorities about one of the letters, the Assistant Serjeant at Arms Mark Harvey said the letter was "a reasonable solicited response", but was against the spirit of the regulations. He went on to say, "Having discussed this with Ms Moran, I'm confident that there will be no repetition in future." The regulations have since changed and there is now a limit on the amount of postage an MP can send.
revealed Moran spent £22,500 of taxpayers' money treating dry rot
at her and her partner's seaside house in Southampton
, about 100 miles from her Luton South constituency, only days after switching her "second home" to his Southampton property. Moran's partner had worked in Southampton for twenty years when the claim was made. The parliamentary authorities were concerned that the work broke the "spirit" of the rules, but advised that it was permissible on three occasions. The Telegraph said the expenses "appear to be among the most questionable of any MP," and the BBC
said the claims caused "widespread public anger". Moran had previously switched her second-home allowance from Luton to London and renovated both.
Moran's second home claims were much higher than those of Luton North MP Kelvin Hopkins
, who lives in the same street in Luton as Moran. In 2009 it was reported that Hopkins had claimed £8,894 from the second homes allowance in the previous five years, while Moran had claimed £87,206.
On 10 May 2009 she defended her expenses claim in an interview with Andrew Sinclair
on the BBC's Politics Show, saying she had kept to the rules. She said: "You could argue that I use it to be able to sustain my work. Any MP has to have a proper family life, they have to have support of their partner." The comments failed to persuade editorial and comment in the media. Melanie Phillips
, writing in the Daily Mail
, commented: "Other people cope with this kind of messy situation every day, paying for it out of their own pocket."
On 12 May, just two days after defending using taxpayers' money on her third home, she agreed to repay it, albeit in installments. In a statement she said, "I do understand constituents' anger at the current fees regime, which is why I will be repaying the full amount claimed for my home in Southampton." On the same day, The Daily Telegraph
alleged that she used £1,104.34 from her Incidental Office Expenses to pay for "furniture for her house". Despite the repayment, Moran has refused to apologise for her actions and still claims to have done nothing wrong.
Moran's local constituency backed her following revelations over her claims, but asked her to explain her actions. The then chairman, Mahmood Hussain, described her conduct as "very questionable".
On 22 May it was revealed that Moran had claimed travel expenses for driving 26,028 miles even though her constituency is only 32 miles from London. The figure would allow for 407 round trips per year; however, she takes the train between London and Luton and has broken the rules if she has claimed for mileage other than between Luton and Westminster. She claimed on her web-site that she was unable to commute from the same street as Luton North MP Kelvin Hopkins because she "has held senior positions since 1997 requiring working long hours; late nights and early mornings making commuting difficult or impossible" and "was required by the House authorities to change her second home delegation to London when she became a Minister."
announced that she would stand against Moran in Luton South as an "anti-sleaze" candidate, just as Martin Bell
did in the Tatton
constituency in 1997. Rantzen launched her campaign in July 2009, however she lost her deposit in the 2010 general election.
On 28 May 2009, Moran announced that she would not stand at the forthcoming general election, citing the "bruising effect upon my friends, my family and my health." Moran also said "The House of Commons fees office gave me incorrect advice upon which I acted. They have now apologised." Subsequently, she was barred from standing in the next general election by a disciplinary panel of the Labour Party.
In November 2009 Moran's local newspaper, Luton & Dunstable Express, launched their "Get Moran Out Now" campaign on its front page. It called for her to resign immediately rather than continuing to claim expenses and receiving a big payoff and large pension by remaining in her seat until the General Election. The newspaper was critical of Moran's failure to apologise or explain her conduct to her constituents, stating that she had "behaved disgracefully" and had "fleeced taxpayers quite enough".
In December 2009 Gavin Shuker
was selected as the Labour candidate to replace Moran and won the seat in the general election. He has stated that her various expenses claims cannot be defended. The Guardian
named Moran as one of the news makers of the year as a result of her role in the expenses scandal.
After the expense revelations broke Moran stopped attending Parliament, claiming that the stress of the expenses scandal had worsened an existing medical condition. Liberal Democrat candidate Qurban Hussain suggested she had gone into hiding, "leaving her constituents completely unrepresented while continuing to draw her generous salary". Moran did however attend an interview in 2010 for a (fictitious) lobbying job, and news of her availability for work resulted in John Lyon
, Parliamentary commissioner for standards, resuming an investigation which had been suspended because of her medical condition. The commissioner was reported to be hoping to complete his report in time for "a large proportion" to be docked from Moran's 'golden goodbye' payment when she left the Commons at the General Election.
Moran was committed to Southwark Crown Court on 30 October 2011 which she failed to turn up to and a 'not guilty' plea was entered by default in her absence. A trial date was set for 18 April with a directions hearing set for 15 December.
for financial reward in a sting operation
set up by the Channel 4 Dispatches
programme. The MPs were secretly filmed discussing how they could assist the interests of the fake company. On the film, Moran appears to claim to be able to help modify laws on immigration in order to boost the business interests of the fake company. She also claimed that she could call on a "girls' gang" of female ministers to help the fictitious company and yet, while she appeared to be enthusiastically courting the fake company, half an hour after the meeting her office told a reporter that she was unavailable to do any work on behalf of her constituents because she was "not very well at the moment." Moran claimed that "This meeting was the beginning of an attempt to rebuild my life."
On 22 March she was suspended from holding office in the Labour Party. Labour leader Gordon Brown
indicated that there would not be an investigation into the conduct of Moran and the other Labour MPs filmed in the programme.
alleged Moran mis-used stationery to support eQuality Networks Ltd (EQN) T/A eQuality Network, a non-profit group which claims that it helps impoverished communities. Moran is currently an associate (listed as Margaret Booker) and was the unpaid chair of the organisaton though was paid £6,052.49 expenses in 2007, whilst her fiancé is a registered Company Director. Moran repeatedly used House of Commons headed paper to write letters in support of EQN, without disclosing her involvement with the company. The Financial Times obtained copies of letters written by Moran on House of Commons headed paper supporting eQuality Networks funding bids and personal invitations to eQuality Networks events. Moran denied committing the offence and claimed her husband "has no part in the running of the organisation".
In 2007 a Spanish Court ruled that she had illegally blocked a right of way at her holiday home in Carataunas
, Spain
, by installing a gate and digging up the path with an excavator. She was ordered to make the area as it was. She used House of Commons headed paper during the dispute, including a note written in Spanish and English which said "Please note – this road is private & closed. Please remove your motorcycle from our land. Moran family."
When these claims appeared in the Mail On Sunday, Moran denied them and contacted libel lawyers Carter Ruck who were subsequently shown the note on House of Commons letterhead that the newspaper had obtained. The case was then dropped, but Moran had incurred a £881.25 legal bill. She charged it to her Incidental Office Expenses account, which is meant to cover the running cost of an MP's constituency office.
In 2009 it emerged that one of Moran's employees at eQuality Networks had successfully nominated her to the shortlist of MP of the Year at the Women in Public Life Awards, describing here as a "forward thinking, modern day suffragette
".
s, visiting historical sites, walking and eating curry.
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. She was the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Luton South
Luton South (UK Parliament constituency)
Luton South is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
from 1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
to 2010.
Moran was involved in the 2009 Parliamentary expenses scandal
United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal triggered by the leak and subsequent publication by the Telegraph Group in 2009 of expense claims made by members of the United Kingdom Parliament over several years...
, when the Daily Telegraph revealed she had claimed £22,500 on expenses to treat dry rot
Dry rot
Dry rot refers to a type of wood decay caused by certain types of fungi, also known as True Dry Rot, that digests parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness...
in a house 100 miles from her constituency. As a result she announced that she would stand down at the 2010 election. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is an officer of the British House of Commons.He or she is appointed by a Resolution of the House of Commons and works a four-day week.- Tasks :...
began an investigation into her conduct. Moran was also caught up in another scandal in March 2010 when she was one of four retiring Labour MPs who were found to have offered their services as paid lobbyists to an undercover reporter. According to the Telegraph on 13 October 2010 detectives from the Met Police had spent several months looking into expenses claims made by her and she was expected to be charged within weeks for false accounting or fraud. She will be the fifth Labour MP to be charged, the others being former Labour MPs David Chaytor
David Chaytor
David Michael Chaytor is a former British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Bury North from 1997 to 2010. He was the first member of Parliament to be sentenced following the United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal of 2009.On 2 June 2009, he announced that he...
, Jim Devine
Jim Devine
James "Jim" Devine is a former British Member of Parliament, having been the Labour Party member for Livingston from 2005 until 2010 and Chairman of the Scottish Labour Party between 1994-95....
and Eric Illsley
Eric Illsley
Eric Evlyn Illsley is a former British politician who was the Member of Parliament for Barnsley Central from 1987 until 2011. He was a Labour Party representative until suspended from the party after being charged with false accounting as part of the United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal,...
and former Labour Minister Elliot Morley
Elliot Morley
Elliot Anthony Morley is a former Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Glanford and Scunthorpe from 1987 to 1997 and then Scunthorpe from 1997 to 2010. In 2009, he was accused by The Daily Telegraph of continuing to claim parliamentary expenses for a mortgage that had...
, whilst a sixth serving Labour MP and former Minister Denis MacShane
Denis MacShane
Denis MacShane is a British politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Rotherham since the 1994 by-election and served as the Minister for Europe from 2002 until 2005, as well as being a current Policy Council member for Labour Friends of Israel.On 14 October 2010, it was announced...
has been suspended from the Labour Party as well.
On 6 September 2011 it was announced by the Crown Prosecution Service that Moran would face 21 criminal charges for wrongful expense claims. She is to stand trial in the Crown Court.
Early life
Moran was born in Bethnal GreenBethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
to Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
parents Patrick and Mary. She went to St Ursula's High School (now St Ursula's Convent School), a Roman Catholic girls' school in Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
, and then to St Mary's College (now St Mary's University College), a Roman Catholic college in Strawberry Hill
Strawberry Hill, London
Strawberry Hill is an affluent area of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in Twickenham. It is a suburban development situated 10.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross. It consists of a number of residential roads centered around a small development of shops and serviced by Strawberry...
, Twickenham
Twickenham
Twickenham is a large suburban town southwest of central London. It is the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and one of the locally important district centres identified in the London Plan...
. She subsequently attended the University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
, gaining a Bachelor of Social Science
Bachelor of Social Science
The academic undergraduate degree of Bachelor of Social Science requires three to four years of study at an institution of higher education, primarily found in the Commonwealth of Nations....
degree in Geography and Sociology in 1978.
Before Parliament
From 1984, Moran was a local councillor of the London Borough of LewishamLondon Borough of Lewisham
The London Borough of Lewisham is a London borough in south-east London, England and forms part of Inner London. The principal settlement of the borough is Lewisham...
Council, and leader of the council between 1993 and 1995. At the same time, Moran stood in the 1992 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
in Carshalton and Wallington, finishing in third place. Moran was also the director of a Housing Association, national President of the housing branch of the NALGO trade union, vice chair of the association of London Authorities Vice and Chair of the Association of Metropolitian Authorities.
Parliamentary career
For the 1997 electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, she was selected to stand for Labour in Luton South
Luton South (UK Parliament constituency)
Luton South is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
through an all-women shortlist. While this method of selection was subsequently declared illegal in January 1996 as it breached sex discrimination laws, candidates already selected remained in place. At the election she was elected, gaining the seat from the Conservatives.
Following her re-election in the 2001 election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
she was promoted to the position of assistant whip attached to HM Treasury
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
between 2003 and 2005. While serving as a whip, Moran was obliged to vote along with the Government line, and did so. She was re-elected for a third term in the 2005 election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, with a reduced majority. There had been significant opposition among Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
's large Muslim population to her support for the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. Moran supported plans to negotiate with Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
over the status of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, describing Gibraltar as "effectively an outpost colony within a major European partner", although she accepted that any change must have the consent of Gibraltarians. From 2006,
Moran was a member of the Home Affairs Committee, where she took an interest in helping female victims of domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
and in issues of child protection. She was for a time chairwoman of the All-Party Group on Domestic Violence and worked with Women's Aid to launch online projects such as WomenSpeak and KidSpeak.
Moran's interest in child protection led her to go to the Internet Governance Forum
Internet Governance Forum
The Internet Governance Forum is a multi-stakeholder forum for policy dialogue on issues of Internet governance. It brings together all stakeholders in the internet governance debate, whether they represent governments, the private sector or civil society, including the technical and academic...
at Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
in November 2007 and was involved in the launch of the UK Internet Governance Forum. on 6 March 2008. Moran became a member of the Hansard Society
Hansard Society
The Hansard Society was formed in 1944 to promote parliamentary democracy. Founded and chaired by Commander Stephen King-Hall, the first subscribers were Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee...
Commission on the Scrutiny of Parliament. She also worked with the Fawcett Society
Fawcett Society
The Fawcett Society is an organisation in the United Kingdom which campaigns for women's rights. The organisation's roots date back to 1866 when Millicent Garrett Fawcett dedicated her life to the peaceful campaign for women's suffrage....
producing a publication on women's participation on the internet.
Expenses controversy
Moran's claims for expenses have regularly drawn press attention. Her claims peaked in the period 2004-05, totalling £168,569, which was the second highest of any MP, and the highest of any to be re-elected. Her claims for 2004-05 were £73,198 higher than Luton NorthLuton North (UK Parliament constituency)
Luton North is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
MP Kelvin Hopkins
Kelvin Hopkins
Kelvin Peter Hopkins is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Luton North since 1997.-Background:...
. However, it was not until May 2009 that the full details of her claims were revealed.
Revelations of the expense claims caused Moran to announce she would not stand in the 2010 general election, and she was later barred from doing so by the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party. Speaking in Parliament, the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
described Moran's behaviour as "totally unacceptable".
Unsolicited mail and stationery costs
Moran had particularly high spending on stationery and postage and on staff costs.In the run up to the 2005 general election, Moran sent out thousands of unsolicited letters to her constituents. Following a complaint to the Commons authorities about one of the letters, the Assistant Serjeant at Arms Mark Harvey said the letter was "a reasonable solicited response", but was against the spirit of the regulations. He went on to say, "Having discussed this with Ms Moran, I'm confident that there will be no repetition in future." The regulations have since changed and there is now a limit on the amount of postage an MP can send.
Second home allowance
On 8 May 2009, The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
revealed Moran spent £22,500 of taxpayers' money treating dry rot
Dry rot
Dry rot refers to a type of wood decay caused by certain types of fungi, also known as True Dry Rot, that digests parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness...
at her and her partner's seaside house in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, about 100 miles from her Luton South constituency, only days after switching her "second home" to his Southampton property. Moran's partner had worked in Southampton for twenty years when the claim was made. The parliamentary authorities were concerned that the work broke the "spirit" of the rules, but advised that it was permissible on three occasions. The Telegraph said the expenses "appear to be among the most questionable of any MP," and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
said the claims caused "widespread public anger". Moran had previously switched her second-home allowance from Luton to London and renovated both.
Moran's second home claims were much higher than those of Luton North MP Kelvin Hopkins
Kelvin Hopkins
Kelvin Peter Hopkins is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Luton North since 1997.-Background:...
, who lives in the same street in Luton as Moran. In 2009 it was reported that Hopkins had claimed £8,894 from the second homes allowance in the previous five years, while Moran had claimed £87,206.
On 10 May 2009 she defended her expenses claim in an interview with Andrew Sinclair
Andrew Sinclair
Dr Andrew Sinclair is a prolific British novelist, historian, biographer, critic and film-maker. He was a Founding Member of Churchill College, Cambridge. He directed the film, now regarded as a classic, of Under Milk Wood. His book The Better Half: The Emancipation of the American Woman won the...
on the BBC's Politics Show, saying she had kept to the rules. She said: "You could argue that I use it to be able to sustain my work. Any MP has to have a proper family life, they have to have support of their partner." The comments failed to persuade editorial and comment in the media. Melanie Phillips
Melanie Phillips
Melanie Phillips is a British journalist and author. She began her career on the left of the political spectrum, writing for such publications as The Guardian and New Statesman. In the 1990s she moved to the right, and she now writes for the Daily Mail newspaper, covering political and social...
, writing in the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, commented: "Other people cope with this kind of messy situation every day, paying for it out of their own pocket."
On 12 May, just two days after defending using taxpayers' money on her third home, she agreed to repay it, albeit in installments. In a statement she said, "I do understand constituents' anger at the current fees regime, which is why I will be repaying the full amount claimed for my home in Southampton." On the same day, The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
alleged that she used £1,104.34 from her Incidental Office Expenses to pay for "furniture for her house". Despite the repayment, Moran has refused to apologise for her actions and still claims to have done nothing wrong.
Moran's local constituency backed her following revelations over her claims, but asked her to explain her actions. The then chairman, Mahmood Hussain, described her conduct as "very questionable".
Other expense claims
On 14 May, the Daily Telegraph reported that Moran had billed the taxpayer almost £4,000 in respect of an employment tribunal case brought by a former member of her staff. The House of Commons fees office agreed that the bill could be paid out of her staffing budget.On 22 May it was revealed that Moran had claimed travel expenses for driving 26,028 miles even though her constituency is only 32 miles from London. The figure would allow for 407 round trips per year; however, she takes the train between London and Luton and has broken the rules if she has claimed for mileage other than between Luton and Westminster. She claimed on her web-site that she was unable to commute from the same street as Luton North MP Kelvin Hopkins because she "has held senior positions since 1997 requiring working long hours; late nights and early mornings making commuting difficult or impossible" and "was required by the House authorities to change her second home delegation to London when she became a Minister."
Outcomes
On 18 May 2009 television presenter Esther RantzenEsther Rantzen
Esther Louise Rantzen CBE is an English journalist and television presenter who is best known for presenting the BBC television series That's Life!, and for her work in various charitable causes. She is founder of the child protection charity ChildLine, and also advocates the work of the Burma...
announced that she would stand against Moran in Luton South as an "anti-sleaze" candidate, just as Martin Bell
Martin Bell
Martin Bell, OBE, is a British UNICEF Ambassador, a former broadcast war reporter and former independent politician...
did in the Tatton
Tatton (UK Parliament constituency)
- Elections in the 1990s :- Elections in the 1980s :- Sources :* Data for the 2005 election are from the .* Data for the 2001 election are from http://www.election.demon.co.uk/....
constituency in 1997. Rantzen launched her campaign in July 2009, however she lost her deposit in the 2010 general election.
On 28 May 2009, Moran announced that she would not stand at the forthcoming general election, citing the "bruising effect upon my friends, my family and my health." Moran also said "The House of Commons fees office gave me incorrect advice upon which I acted. They have now apologised." Subsequently, she was barred from standing in the next general election by a disciplinary panel of the Labour Party.
In November 2009 Moran's local newspaper, Luton & Dunstable Express, launched their "Get Moran Out Now" campaign on its front page. It called for her to resign immediately rather than continuing to claim expenses and receiving a big payoff and large pension by remaining in her seat until the General Election. The newspaper was critical of Moran's failure to apologise or explain her conduct to her constituents, stating that she had "behaved disgracefully" and had "fleeced taxpayers quite enough".
In December 2009 Gavin Shuker
Gavin Shuker
Gavin Shuker is an English Labour Co-operative politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Luton South since 2010. Shuker successfully defended the seat after his predecessor Margaret Moran stood down following controversy over her expenses.-Education:A Lutonian, Shuker was educated at...
was selected as the Labour candidate to replace Moran and won the seat in the general election. He has stated that her various expenses claims cannot be defended. The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
named Moran as one of the news makers of the year as a result of her role in the expenses scandal.
After the expense revelations broke Moran stopped attending Parliament, claiming that the stress of the expenses scandal had worsened an existing medical condition. Liberal Democrat candidate Qurban Hussain suggested she had gone into hiding, "leaving her constituents completely unrepresented while continuing to draw her generous salary". Moran did however attend an interview in 2010 for a (fictitious) lobbying job, and news of her availability for work resulted in John Lyon
John Lyon (commissioner)
John Lyon, CB, is the current British Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. He commenced his appointment, which was for a period of five years, on 1 January 2008....
, Parliamentary commissioner for standards, resuming an investigation which had been suspended because of her medical condition. The commissioner was reported to be hoping to complete his report in time for "a large proportion" to be docked from Moran's 'golden goodbye' payment when she left the Commons at the General Election.
Prosecution
On 6 September 2011 the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced that Moran would face 21 criminal charges 15 of false accounting and six charges of forgery. She was summoned to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 19 September 2011, duly did and having dyed her hair blond and made herself up to appear as an old woman she 'cried' throughout the hearing.Moran was committed to Southwark Crown Court on 30 October 2011 which she failed to turn up to and a 'not guilty' plea was entered by default in her absence. A trial date was set for 18 April with a directions hearing set for 15 December.
Dispatches. Lobbyist investigation
In March 2010 Moran was one of the MPs involved in offering influential political lobbyingLobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
for financial reward in a sting operation
Sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
set up by the Channel 4 Dispatches
Dispatches (TV series)
Dispatches is the British television current affairs documentary series on Channel 4, first transmitted in 1987. The programme covers issues about British society, politics, health, religion, international current affairs and the environment, usually featuring a mole in an organisation.-Awards:*...
programme. The MPs were secretly filmed discussing how they could assist the interests of the fake company. On the film, Moran appears to claim to be able to help modify laws on immigration in order to boost the business interests of the fake company. She also claimed that she could call on a "girls' gang" of female ministers to help the fictitious company and yet, while she appeared to be enthusiastically courting the fake company, half an hour after the meeting her office told a reporter that she was unavailable to do any work on behalf of her constituents because she was "not very well at the moment." Moran claimed that "This meeting was the beginning of an attempt to rebuild my life."
On 22 March she was suspended from holding office in the Labour Party. Labour leader Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
indicated that there would not be an investigation into the conduct of Moran and the other Labour MPs filmed in the programme.
Improper use of House of Commons stationery
In May 2009, the Financial TimesFinancial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
alleged Moran mis-used stationery to support eQuality Networks Ltd (EQN) T/A eQuality Network, a non-profit group which claims that it helps impoverished communities. Moran is currently an associate (listed as Margaret Booker) and was the unpaid chair of the organisaton though was paid £6,052.49 expenses in 2007, whilst her fiancé is a registered Company Director. Moran repeatedly used House of Commons headed paper to write letters in support of EQN, without disclosing her involvement with the company. The Financial Times obtained copies of letters written by Moran on House of Commons headed paper supporting eQuality Networks funding bids and personal invitations to eQuality Networks events. Moran denied committing the offence and claimed her husband "has no part in the running of the organisation".
In 2007 a Spanish Court ruled that she had illegally blocked a right of way at her holiday home in Carataunas
Carataunas
Carataunas is a municipality located in the province of Granada, Spain. According to the 2005 census , it has a population of 198 inhabitants....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, by installing a gate and digging up the path with an excavator. She was ordered to make the area as it was. She used House of Commons headed paper during the dispute, including a note written in Spanish and English which said "Please note – this road is private & closed. Please remove your motorcycle from our land. Moran family."
When these claims appeared in the Mail On Sunday, Moran denied them and contacted libel lawyers Carter Ruck who were subsequently shown the note on House of Commons letterhead that the newspaper had obtained. The case was then dropped, but Moran had incurred a £881.25 legal bill. She charged it to her Incidental Office Expenses account, which is meant to cover the running cost of an MP's constituency office.
eQuality Networks
In 2007 the Guardian claimed Moran had been exploiting interns insisting they work for the company eQuality Networks rather than doing political work. Similar allegations were levelled at Moran in 2009 following an investigation by the Financial Times.In 2009 it emerged that one of Moran's employees at eQuality Networks had successfully nominated her to the shortlist of MP of the Year at the Women in Public Life Awards, describing here as a "forward thinking, modern day suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
".
Personal life
In 2009 she married her long-time partner of 30 years, Michael Booker, who lives and works at Southampton University as the Safety Adviser. They have no children. She states her personal interests as céilidhCéilidh
In modern usage, a céilidh or ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering, which usually involves playing Gaelic folk music and dancing. It originated in Ireland, but is now common throughout the Irish and Scottish diasporas...
s, visiting historical sites, walking and eating curry.
Publications
- Women Speach: E Democracy Or Title Democracy by Margaret Moran, 2002, The Fawcett Society ISBN 9780901890221
- Women in Parliament: The New Suffragettes by Bonie Sones, Joni Lovenduski and Margaret Moran, 2005, Politico's Publishing Ltd ISBN 978-1842751404
External links
- Margaret Moran on The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
’s Ask Aristotle - Margaret Moran on BBC Politics OnlineBBC News OnlineBBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. The website is the most popular news website in the United Kingdom and forms a major part of BBC Online ....
- Women's Parliamentary Radio
- http://www.equalitynetworks.org.uk/ eQuality Networks
News items
- Internet child porn block calls, BBC News OnlineBBC News OnlineBBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. The website is the most popular news website in the United Kingdom and forms a major part of BBC Online ....
, 26 October 2005 - Call for 'swift action' over camps, BBC News OnlineBBC News OnlineBBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. The website is the most popular news website in the United Kingdom and forms a major part of BBC Online ....
, 30 April 2003
Audio clips
- WPRadio Discussing the Womenspeak project on Women's Parliamentary RadioWomen's Parliamentary RadioWomen's Parliamentary Radio is a website which broadcasts audio and video interviews with women MPs of all parties.All the interviews are pre-recorded and put on the website as reports which can be streamed and listened to immediately or downloaded as podcasts so that they can be listened to later...