They tried to cover up the rent-swapping scandal, their boss even spends his time trying to convince the public that piggy MPs deserve our trust. Now Guido has learned that IPSA, the parliamentary standards authority set up to hold fiddling expenses cheats to account, tips off MPs facing expenses exposés. Two weeks before they release Freedom of Information responses containing details of MPs’ expenses, conveniently IPSA tip-off the Member in question to warn them of what is to come.

One parliamentary source told Guido that their boss was well aware of the information about to be disclosed to this blog some fourteen days before it was eventually released. This gives expenses cheats two whole weeks to cover their tracks and prepare for the bad headlines. Crucially it gives them enough time to change what they are claiming and putting them on the front foot in fire-fighting allegations.  IPSA are supposed to be independent, yet here are in cahoots with the troughers…