I know I touched on the expenses vote in another thread but I decided that Incapability's devious way of getting the amendment knocked out deserved its own thread. While I don't believe in coincidence at the best of times having a load of MP's suddenly in meetings when the vote is called would be stretching most people's belief.
Having stressed his so called support for greater trasnparency you would think that he would have rescheduled his meeting in order to take part in the vote himself. But no, that would risk his 'free' sky sports.
Downing Street has denied claims Gordon Brown "ducked" a vote on reforming MPs' expenses, in which MPs rejected calls for external spot checks.
The Tories say Mr Brown "went awol" on the crucial vote, which would have scrapped the second homes allowance.
The Tory frontbench voted to scrap the allowance, but 33 ministers voted to keep it, and Mr Brown was not present.
Downing Street said Mr Brown had made clear his support for greater transparency, but had been in meetings.
His spokesman said he had been kept informed of the progress of the debate and added: "He did not duck the vote".
He had been "kept informed throughout his meetings" and had been "disappointed by the result," added the spokesman.
'Blatant contempt'
He also said Mr Brown had no plans to sack his Parliamentary aides, Ian Austin and Angela Smith, who voted to keep the second homes allowance and so-called "John Lewis list" - the use of public money to pay for household items like TVs and furniture.
There were newspaper reports Mr Austin was involved in a shouting match with Shadow Chancellor George Osborne as MPs voted on the issue on Thursday.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, Culture Secretary Andy Burnham and Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward were among 33 ministers who voted to keep the old allowance.
Earlier shadow work and pensions secretary Chris Grayling said the government was "showing blatant contempt for very real public concerns".
"When Parliament has been under fire in the way it has been over the last few months, it is essential our leaders set the right example," he said.
"David Cameron and the shadow cabinet voted for the abolition of the 'John Lewis list' whilst Gordon Brown and his most senior ministers went Awol."
'One-way argument'
Proposals to change the system were drawn up after a five-month inquiry by the Members Estimate Committee, chaired by Speaker Michael Martin, after Tory MP Derek Conway was reprimanded for overpaying his son for Parliamentary work.
They included an end to the "John Lewis list" and replaced the additional costs allowance, used to cover the cost of running a second home with other allowances, as well as calling for spot checks and external audits.
Lib Dem MP Nick Harvey, who was on the Members Estimate Committee, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the measures were "absolutely vital" to try to rebuild public confidence in Parliament.
"The fact that the public's hard-earned money can be used for MPs to buy and then indeed own a plasma television is just a one-way argument in public perception that we were never going to win," he said.
He added: "MPs are the only people in the country who sign off their own expenses."
'Great cost'
He also said it would be "very, very hard" to tackle the perception that MPs had their "snouts in the trough" after the vote - which he said had created "a real headache" for efforts to restore public confidence.
On Thursday, following debates on pay and expenses, MPs voted by a majority of 28 to retain the additional costs allowance, and to have their spending looked at only by internal, rather than external, auditors.
Labour MP David Winnick said it had been a "missed opportunity" which "gives the impression of an abuse of public expenditure".
But Labour former minister Peter Kilfoyle rejected the notion that by opposing the new rules he had voted to keep the "John Lewis list" - saying that was something drawn up by Commons officials not MPs.
He told the BBC he was very concerned about teams of external auditors "at very great cost" being able to "to trawl through individual MP's office".
Mr Kilfoyle said all receipts were audited in the Commons fees office adding: "Why should someone come round my office and do an effective time and motion study on my staff - when I'm technically self employed?"
There were also questions about whether the new system might be too bureaucratic - and who would police a new overnight allowance - to be claimed for every night they stayed in London.
MPs' expenses came under scrutiny after the Derek Conway case and a Freedom of Information tribunal ruling that details of MPs' second homes allowance claims should be published.
An information tribunal criticised the existing rules as "deeply unsatisfactory", said checks were "very limited" and said the "laxity" rules was "very different" from those in the private sector.
Some new rules have already been brought in. MPs employing relatives have begun declaring them and MPs must now submit receipts on all items worth more than £25 - previously they could claim up to £250 without providing a receipt.
Sir Christopher Kelly, chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, last week questioned whether even the new rules went far enough.
Asked about Thursday's vote to reject reforms, he said: "I would expect the public to react very badly."
