Eric Illsley MP fraud
© Anthony Devlin - Associated PPressBritish Member of Parliament Eric Illsley walks outside Southwark Crown Court in London Tuesday Jan. 11, 2011 . The MP pleaded guilty to charges connected to the country's lawmakers' expense scandal. Illsley told the London court Tuesday that he now admitted he dishonestly claimed about 14,000 pounds (US$22,000). Illsely had previously denied three charges of false accounting. Justice John Saunders said he will be sentenced next month.
A House of Commons legislator said Wednesday he will quit after pleading guilty to charges over Britain's expense claims scandal - avoiding an embarrassing ouster under Parliamentary rules, or in a vote of lawmakers.

Eric Illsley confirmed in a statement that he planned to stand down within the next month, which will trigger a special election in the northern England district he has served since 1987.

At a court hearing on Tuesday, the 55-year-old pleaded guilty to three charges of false accounting and acknowledged he had dishonestly claimed about 14,000 pounds ($22,000) in expense payments.

He will be sentenced next month and, if jailed for 12 months or more, would have been expelled from the House of Commons under the chamber's rules.

Lawmakers had also begun considering a vote to remove Illsley from his seat in Parliament whatever the sentence imposed by the courts, seeking to invoke a rare sanction against miscreant legislators not used since 1954.

"I would like to apologize to my constituents, family and friends, following my court appearance, for the distress and embarrassment caused by my actions that I deeply, deeply regret," Illsley said in a statement.

"I have begun to wind down my parliamentary office, following which I will resign from Parliament before my next court appearance," he said.

Illsley, who represents the Barnsley Central district, had already been suspended by the main opposition Labour Party and was sitting in the House of Commons as an independent lawmaker.
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Prime Minister David Cameron, Labour leader Ed Miliband and about 2,000 members of the public who signed an online petition had all called on Illsley to quit following his guilty pleas.

Illsley's prosecution follows the 2009 disclosure of previously secret files which revealed how politicians had billed the public for items including swank second homes, horse manure and pornographic movies.

Ex-lawmaker David Chaytor was jailed for 18 months on expense fraud charges last week, while two more former legislators and two House of Lords members are scheduled to face trial in the coming months.

A total of 392 current and former legislators were ordered to repay 1.12 million pounds ($1.8 million) following an investigation into extravagant or inappropriate claims.