A Conservative MEP has criticised party leader David Cameron’s attempt to reform expenses as “half-baked”.

An unsigned memo seen by the BBC says the change is a “direct breach of the rules of the European Parliament” and likely to bring a PR “defeat”.

Mr Cameron said all MEPs would have to fill out a “right to know” expenses form, and promised a “deep clean”. A Tory spokesman said the memo showed some MEPs were “living on another planet” and the system had to change. The author of the memo is unknown, but the Conservatives have confirmed that it was one of their MEPs.

The document suggests that an attempt by Mr Cameron to merge the European and Westminster expenses system “threatens the worst of both worlds”. It describes the proposal as a “direct breach of the Rules of the European Parliament”, which will “snatch defeat from the jaws of victory” in PR terms.

It adds that Mr Cameron’s plans threaten to “scupper plans for a new group” for the Conservatives to join after the party’s planned withdrawal from the centre-right EPP-ED group after the 2009 elections.

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***Aidan McCaffery addressed his own take on the 2009 elections in this month’s issue of Club Relaford at http://www.clubrelaford.com/elections.html

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