A scandal in the British Parliament has caused the resignation of a Speaker for the first time in 300 years: it looks set to cause 50 or more sitting MPs to to not stand at the 2010 elections.
How did it begin?
In 2005, an American freelance writer and journalism teacher living in London, Heather Brooke, entered a request under Britain’s newly promulgated freedom of information act for details of the expense claims of British members of Parliament.
Four years on, the parliament’s and the parliamentarians’ reputations are in ruins.