MPs' expenses probe is ruled out

MPs backed moves for greater auditing of expenses

Parliament's standards watchdog has decided against launching an inquiry into MPs' allowances.

The Committee on Standards in Public Life reached the decision after meeting Commons leader Harriet Harman.

It was felt that new arrangements for auditing MPs' expenses were in themselves "a significant step forward", the BBC was told.

Government plans to exempt MPs' expense details from freedom of information requests were shelved last month.

Broken down

This followed the refusal by opposition parties to back ministers.

Ms Harman said at the time that all expenses information requested in the past four years would be published in full, at a cost of about