'Expenses Bill may breach rights of MPs'

THE Prime Minister's plans to overhaul MPs' expenses came under fresh attack today as Parliament's own lawyers warned of the dangers of creating an independent regulator.

Gordon Brown's Parliamentary Standards Bill could undermine Parliamentary privilege and MPs' human rights. The Clerk of the House and Speaker's Counsel said it could undermine the courts. Critics said the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority could affect the sub-judice rights of judges. The Joint Committee on Human Rights said the Bill's safeguards may not prevent breaches of the right to a fair hearing.