THE Conservatives are facing amounting political pressure to get tough over the cash for questions affair as the Speaker of the House of Commons promised MPs yesterday that "all the necessary steps" would be taken to ensure a thorough investigation into the allegations.
The Speaker, Mrs Betty Boothroyd, responded to a force challenge by the opposition parties to guarantee that a full investigation into the sleaze allegations was carried out by the Parliamentary Standards Committee. In a short statement to MPs in the Commons she said she was concerned that the reputation of the House had been called into question over the issue. The "very serious" allegations against MPs must be resolved as soon as possible, she said, and sbe assured MPs that if any additional powers were needed by the committee, MPs would then be "invited to decide whether they should be granted".
At a joint House of Commons press conference earlier, the Labour and Liberal Democrat chief whips, Mr Donald Dewar and Mr Archie Kirkwood, said they believed the powers of the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, Sir Gordon Downey, to investigate the "cash for questions" allegations should be widened to "clarify the issue before the next general election".
Labour and the Liberal Democrats had urged the Prime Minister to set up an independent judicial inquiry into sleaze, but this was rejected by Downing Street on the grounds that parliament "already has a number of mechanisms for investigating itself". The Labour Party said that in view of the Speaker's statement it now accepted that the investigation was a matter for the House of Commons.
Sir Gordon began his investigation into the sleaze allegations this week, but Mr Dewar said he believed Sir Gordon was restricted to considering only the specific complaints against the Conservative MP Mr Neil Hamilton and the lobbyist Mr Ian Greer, and not the widely reported allegation that in 1994 the then government whip Mr David Willetts sought to influence a Members' Interests Committee, which originally investigated Mr Hamilton and the cash for questions controversy.
"It is important that the scope of Sir Gordon's inquiry should be comprehensive if the Prime Minister's stated aim of ensuring that the House should be `entirely free of malpractice' is to be achieved. We will be asking for clarification of Sir Gordon's remit and, if we feel it inadequate, then we will take the necessary steps." They were trying, responsibly, to make sure this was a comprehensive examination, he said.
Following the Speaker's statement, Mr Dewar said he welcomed Mrs Boothroyd's "determination to ensure swift action and her emphasis on the seriousness of the matters at issue". Her further emphasis on the need for a quick and early report from the committee on the nature and scope of its inquiries would be as reassuring to MPs as it would be to the wider public.