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Angry 'mole' sparked Britain's expenses scandal: Report
A "mole" who leaked data on lawmakers' expenses, sparking Britain's biggest political scandal in years, was angry about a lack of resources for troops in Afghanistan, a newspaper said.
A "mole" who leaked data on lawmakers' expenses, sparking Britain's biggest political scandal in years, was angry about a lack of resources for troops in Afghanistan, a newspaper said.
The unnamed worker was incensed by a perceived failure to properly equip British soldiers in Afghanistan, at a time when politicians filed lavish expenses claims, according to the newspaper that published the leaks yesterday.
The Daily Telegraph published weeks of material showing how members of parliament claimed expenses for everything from a duck island to moat cleaning and tennis court repairs from tax payers.
The newspaper said: "The man behind the leak - who is a civilian - has broken cover to tell his story for the first time, in the hope that it will shame the government into finally supplying the right equipment for soldiers risking their lives in Afghanistan."
The most serious expense abuses involved claims for mortgage payments on second homes at a time when Britain suffered rising unemployment and its worst recession in decades.
Some 20 lawmakers, including some ministers, quit over the row and prompted pledges from Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the opposition Conservatives leader to overhaul the expenses system.
