THE TELEGRAPH: Gordon Brown has been accused of suppressing a report of an investigation into whether the minister Shahid Malik broke the rules over parliamentary expenses, despite a promise to bring in a new era of "transparency" in politics.
Mr Brown was accused of "falling at the first hurdle" in his efforts to reform Westminster by refusing to release the full report of an inquiry into Mr Malik's affairs.
Sir Christopher Kelly, the chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, said last night the report should be published.
Mr Malik stepped down as justice minister last month after The Daily Telegraph reported his landlord's claim that he was paying well below the market rate for his constituency home in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
Tahir Zaman claimed that the MP was paying less than £100 a week for the three-bedroom house which he designated as his main home, thereby allowing him to claim thousands of pounds by designating his house in London as his second home.
Sir Philip Mawer, Gordon Brown's adviser on ministerial conduct, was asked to investigate because The Telegraph's disclosures raised questions about whether Mr Malik's rental arrangements over his main home breached the ministerial code of conduct.
The code states that members of the Government must not accept any "gift or hospitality" which risks putting them under an "obligation".
It also says that ministers must inform civil servants of "all interests which might be thought to give rise to a conflict" of interest.
Officials at the Ministry of Justice had not been formally notified of Mr Malik's arrangements.
Yesterday Mr Brown reappointed Mr Malik as a minister, giving him a job in the Department of Communities and Local Government.
Announcing the appointment, Downing Street said a report by Sir Philip cleared Mr Malik of any wrongdoing over his arrangement with Mr Zaman, who was once fined for letting an "uninhabitable" home. Mr Zaman claimed that the tenants were already in occupation when he took over the property.
However, Mr Brown has refused to approve the release of Sir Philip's report. The refusal threatens to overshadow a Commons statement from the Prime Minister today about moves to clean up the Westminster expenses system. >>> By James Kirkup | Wednesday, June 10, 2009
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