Politicians who were dreading the day when their exploitation of Parliament’s lax expenses regime would be exposed may have consoled themselves that at least it would all be over in one go. Hundreds of thousands of mortifying pages detailing their claims since 2004 were scheduled for official publication this summer, despite the tenacious resistance of parliamentary authorities in the courts.

In the end, though, the revelations came in agonising stages. The Daily Telegraph obtained the leaked data and, on May 8th, began to publish it. The first to be exposed were ministers. Another batch of Labour politicians followed before the spotlight shone on front- and backbenchers of the Conservative Party. By the time the Liberal Democrats’ turn came round on May 13th, Parliament was on its knees.

The purchases dubiously claimed by MPs ranged from dog food and toilet brushes to thousands of pounds’ worth of home improvements. Much of the nest-feathering took place under the so-called second-homes allowance, worth up to £24,000 ($36,000) a year to MPs who require accommodation in both London and their constituencies. Some “flipped” the designation of their first and second homes in order to be reimbursed for work done on both. A few profited by sprucing up a second home on expenses before reclassifying it as their main residence to avoid capital-gains tax when they sold it.

The reaction of politicians to the great exposure has only slowly and fitfully begun to match public outrage. Gordon Brown apologised for the entire political class on May 11th. David Cameron, the Tory leader, and the Lib Dems’ Nick Clegg followed suit, declaring that colleagues would pay back unjustified claims. Andrew MacKay, Mr Cameron’s parliamentary aide, has resigned over claims his party deemed “unacceptable”; some MPs are returning money; pressure on Michael Martin, accused of an indulgent line on expenses as speaker of the House of Commons, is growing; and reform of the system is now inevitable. An inquiry by the independent Committee on Standards in Public Life, launched after previous scandals, is due to report this year.

... contd.