Britain’s new coalition government, just 18 days into office, was dealing Sunday with its first blow after David Laws, a high-profile treasury minister, resigned over expenses revelations that also exposed his homosexuality.
Mr Laws stepped down as chief secretary to the treasury after the Daily Telegraph reported he had channelled over £40,000 of taxpayers’ money in rent to his long-term boyfriend. “I do not see how I can carry out my crucial work on the budget and spending review while I have to deal with the private and public
implications of recent revelations,” Mr Laws said in a brief statement on Saturday.
The wealthy former banker, a member of the Liberal Democrat junior coalition partners, said he had not disclosed the financial arrangement because of “my desire to keep my sexuality secret”.
“I cannot now escape the conclusion that what I have done was in some way wrong even though I did not gain any financial benefit from keeping my relationship secret,” he said.
In a letter accepting the resignation, Prime Minister David Cameron described Mr Laws as a “good and honourable man” and said he believed he had been motivated “by wanting to protect your privacy rather than anything else”.
Mr Cameron said he hoped Mr Laws could return to the government one day as he had “a huge amount to offer our country”.
Mr Laws was deputy to chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne, of the Conservative Party.
His successor will be another LibDem, Danny Alexander, who was formerly the minister responsible for Scotland, Mr Cameron’s Downing Street office said.
The Daily Telegraph said Mr Laws, 44, claimed up to £950 a month for five years to rent a room in two properties owned by his partner James Lundie, a lobbyist.
—AFP