A British minister became the highest profile casualty in an expenses scandal when he stepped down today pending an inquiry into allegations that he paid below-market rent for a house, breaking the ministerial code.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown asked his independent adviser on ministerial interests, Philip Mawer, to investigate the allegations about junior Justice Minister Shahid Malik that were made in the Daily Telegraphnewspaper today.
"Pending the outcome of that urgent investigation, Shahid Malik will be stepping down as minister," Mr Brown's spokesman said. Mr Malik said he had followed the rules on parliamentary expenses and the Telegraphallegations were inaccurate.
"I am confident that there has been no such breach (of the ministerial code) and look forward to the findings of the inquiry...," Mr Malik said.
Mr Malik is the latest politician to suffer from the fallout of a growing controversy over politicians' expenses paid by the taxpayer which has drawn a wave of voter anger that is hurting all the major parties, but particularly Mr Brown's Labour party, in power since 1997.
A member of parliament was suspended from the Labour party and a senior adviser to opposition Conservative leader David Cameron stepped down yesterday over their expense claims which have been published by the Daily Telegraphwhich obtained the information.
An opinion poll published today showed Labour slumping to an all-time low as the government bore the brunt of voter anger over the expenses scandal.
The YouGov survey for the Sunnewspaper found 22 per cent support for Labour, with the Conservatives on 41 percent.
That would give the Conservatives a landslide victory at the parliamentary election Mr Brown must call within the next year.
The controversy has overshadowed the campaign for June 4th local and European elections, when analysts expect many voters either to stay away or vote for fringe parties, such as the far-right British National Party.
Ray Mallon, the mayor of the northern city of Middlesborough and a former senior police officer, said he had lodged a formal complaint asking London police to investigate the scandal.
"We're received a number of complaints," a police spokesman said, adding that the force was considering them.
The Daily Mailnewspaper said legal experts thought police were unlikely to bring charges and so it was joining forces with a taxpayers' group to launch a campaign for private prosecutions of lawmakers and ministers who had made dishonest claims.
Launching a new policy of transparency, Conservative leaders began posting their latest expense claims online.
The Daily Telegraphsaid Mr Malik claimed more than £23,000 (€25,828) from the taxpayer last year for his London house while securing a three-bedroom house in his Yorkshire constituency, in northern England, at a discounted rent of less than £100 a week.
Mr Mawer will investigate whether Mr Malik broke the ministerial code by failing to declare he was paying a below-market rent.
Reuters