Westminster Blog

In the spring of 2008, just as the drip-drip of revelations about MPs’ expenses was starting to gather momentum, I was despatched to write a magazine feature article for the Weekend FT about Britain’s politicians: were they paid too much for the job they did?

Seeking to write a balanced piece, I made sure that I interviewed at least one MP who exemplified public service; someone who had stepped down from a highly-paid City job to take a relatively low salary at the Liberal Democrats – the party which would never (as it then seemed) take power. His name was David Laws.

I spent a Friday in Laws’ constituency of Yeovil, watching him deal with constituents’ complaints in a diligent and attentive manner. Afterwards we had a pint in a local pub; I told him I could never understand why anyone would want to be an MP, with people trawling through your private life. His answer was non-committal. He struck me – much as he has since – as polite, slightly prim, self-contained and highly intelligent.

When the Telegraph revelations were published a year ago I was quietly relieved that Laws was unscathed.

Fast-foward two years and Laws is the first casualty of the Lib-Con coalition, as ft.com reports tonight. His position as chief secretary to the Treasury had become untenable after he said he would repay £40,000 of expenses claimed for rent paid to his boyfriend; since 2006 MPs were not allowed to lease accommodation from their partners.

The gay angle to the story is a red herring. Within Westminster it was common knowledge that Laws was homosexual but no one considered it a big deal. And rightly so. Recently I bought a boxed set of House of Cards, the TV series, which is nearly two decades old. In the second series – startlingly – an adviser to the new monarch is forced to resign simply because he has taken up with a boyfriend. It was a sharp reminder of how fast attitudes have changed to become more tolerant in the intervening years. Those who know the Yeovil MP say that it was because of his sexuality that he did not become a Tory MP in the first place; in other ways he should have been comfortable in that party, given his “Orange Book” economic liberalism. Tories will mourn his departure as much – if not more – than his Lib Dem colleagues.

Laws was doomed, however, not for being gay but because he appears to have breached the rules. His initial excuse, that “partner” was a grey area under Commons’ expenses rules, never seemed likely to hold water. (The relationship progressed from landlord to boyfriend, at which point the payments were no longer claimable). Nor, unfortunately, did the logical argument that he could have claimed the money for himself if he had owned the flat or rented it from anyone else. Yet it is hard not to sympathise with his point that he kept the relationship secret because he wanted to keep his private life private.

The story is one man’s personal tragedy. But it is also bad news for the coalition, ending that sense of positive momentum that was in evidence in the last fortnight. Cameron and Clegg had little choice but to let him go; his position had become toxic, not least as a millionaire who had wrongly claimed expenses. As Laws said in his letter to Cameron:

Firstly, I do not see how I can carry on my crucial work on the Budget and Spending Review while I have to deal with the private and public implications of recent revelations.

At this important time the Chancellor needs, in my own view, a Chief Secretary who is not distracted by personal troubles. I hardly need say how much I regret having to leave such vital work, which I feel all my life has prepared me for.

Laws had rapidly been seen as one of the stars of the new cabinet, comfortable in the Treasury and at ease with his role in cutting the deficit – a job that Vince Cable had deliberately shied away from. Calm and articulate, he had the mettle to oversee the autumnal comprehensive spending review with all the painful decisions that will go with that. Whether the same is true of his replacement, Danny Alexander, remains to be seen.

Nick Clegg tonight said he hoped there would be an opportunity for Laws to rejoin the government if and when he is cleared by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner. Cameron’s letter – expressing “sadness” in the plight of a “good and honourable man” also says he hopes he “will be able to serve again”. Perhaps – but in what role?

Here are the words of the letters between Cameron and Laws: