Cash for questions verdict on Tory four

Four former Tory MPs are expected to be admonished today by the cross-party Commons Committee on Standards and Privileges for their role in the "cash for questions" affair centred on Mohammed Al Fayed, the owner of Harrods.

The ex-MPs already have been censured over sleaze allegations by Sir Gordon Downey, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. The committee today is due to deliver its verdict on the four: Tim Smith, Michael Brown, Sir Andrew Bowden and Sir Michael Grylls.

They have all apologised to committee and, having lost their seats or retired from Parliament, the sanctions are limited if the committee decides to punish them for breaches in the rules governing the declaration of their private interests while they were MPs.

A fifth former MP criticised by Sir Gordon, Neil Hamilton, who was defeated at the general election by Martin Bell, has appealed against the findings by Sir Gordon and will have to wait at least until next week for the committee's judgement.

Although the Commons rose last night for its 13-week summer break, the committee is anxious to clear as much of its work as quickly as possible and will meet again on Tuesday to consider the case of Mr Hamilton, a former minister.

Its report tomorrow follows damning criticism of the five MPs by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, Sir Gordon Downey, in his report on the "cash-for-questions" affair earlier this month.

Hinting that the Committee may well accept Sir Gordon's findings on the relevant four former MPs, its chairman, Robert Sheldon, said the Downey Report would be "a major part" of its verdict.

But, even if the Committee agrees with Sir Gordon's conclusions - as it has in three wholly unrelated and separate cases already this week - it has virtually no powers over former MPs.

Mr Sheldon said: "All we can do is say how bad it was. We can bring them to the Bar of the House and lock them up in the Tower - but these are archaic."

Mr Hamilton and his wife Christine are to write a book. The couple have reached a deal with a publisher and are currently writing the non-fiction publication together.

The publishers have insisted that the subject matter of the book is kept strictly under wraps until September.

But the book does not concern the "cash-for-questions" row or the election battle with former BBC war correspondent Martin Bell, who won Mr Hamilton's Tatton seat.

"We are writing a book, but it is nothing to do with that affair," Mrs Hamilton said. "We are marching out on our own."

The couple hope sales of the book will help improve their financial situation. Mr Hamilton, who was censured in the Downey Report on parliamentary sleaze earlier this month, has admitted he needs to find new sources of income since he withdrew from an expensive libel action last year.