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LONDON (AFP) – A "mole" who leaked data on lawmakers' expenses, sparking Britain's biggest political scandal in years, was angry about a lack of resources for troops in Afghanistan, a newspaper said Friday.
The unnamed worker was incensed by a perceived failure to properly equip British soldiers in Afghanistan, at a time when politicians filed lavish expenses claims, according to the newspaper that published the leaks.
The Daily Telegraph published weeks of material earlier this year showing how members of parliament (MPs) claimed expenses from the public purse for everything from a duck island to moat cleaning and tennis court repairs.
"It's not easy to watch footage on the television news of a coffin draped in a Union Jack and then come in to work the next day and see on your computer screen what MPs are taking for themselves," the worker, a civilian, said.
A surge in the number of British troops killed in Afghanistan has sparked a political row over whether the military is adequately resourced, amid flagging public support for Britain's role in the conflict.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has defended the government's strategy in Afghanistan, after British forces have in recent months suffered their highest casualty rate since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.
The contrast between the conditions facing soldiers and the claims of lawmakers "helped tip the balance" in the worker's decision to leak the material to the press, he was quoted saying.
The expenses scandal, that included lawmakers' claiming for mortgage payments on second homes, came at a time when Britain suffered rising unemployment and its worst recession in decades.
Some 20 lawmakers, including some ministers, quit over the scandal and prompted pledges from Brown and the opposition Conservatives leader to overhaul the expenses system.
The "mole" was among workers who processed the MPs' claims, and his colleagues included soldiers who were moonlighting between tours of Afghanistan and Iraq to earn extra cash for body armour and other equipment.
One of the expense claims which particularly enraged the workers was Brown?s claim for a Sky TV sports package, which cost 36 pounds (39 euros, 57 dollars) per month, according to the Telegraph.
"Hearing from the serving soldiers, about how they were having to work thre to earn money to buy themselves decent equipment, while the MPs could find public money to buy themselves all sorts of extravagances, only added to the feeling that the public needed to know what was going on," the worker said.
The revelations are contained in a book on the scandal, written by two of the newspaper's reporters, to be published on Friday.
It is unclear whether the worker, who faced threat of a police investigation for his actions, was paid for the material he leaked.
The comments came amid confirmation a senior army commander, who led troops in Afghanistan and was reportedly highly critical of the government's treatment of British soldiers, has quit the army.
"We can confirm that Major-General Andrew Mackay has decided to leave the army. This is a personal matter for him," a Ministry of Defence spokesman said.
The unnamed worker was incensed by a perceived failure to properly equip British soldiers in Afghanistan, at a time when politicians filed lavish expenses claims, according to the newspaper that published the leaks.
The Daily Telegraph published weeks of material earlier this year showing how members of parliament (MPs) claimed expenses from the public purse for everything from a duck island to moat cleaning and tennis court repairs.
"It's not easy to watch footage on the television news of a coffin draped in a Union Jack and then come in to work the next day and see on your computer screen what MPs are taking for themselves," the worker, a civilian, said.
A surge in the number of British troops killed in Afghanistan has sparked a political row over whether the military is adequately resourced, amid flagging public support for Britain's role in the conflict.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has defended the government's strategy in Afghanistan, after British forces have in recent months suffered their highest casualty rate since the US-led invasion of the country in 2001.
The contrast between the conditions facing soldiers and the claims of lawmakers "helped tip the balance" in the worker's decision to leak the material to the press, he was quoted saying.
The expenses scandal, that included lawmakers' claiming for mortgage payments on second homes, came at a time when Britain suffered rising unemployment and its worst recession in decades.
Some 20 lawmakers, including some ministers, quit over the scandal and prompted pledges from Brown and the opposition Conservatives leader to overhaul the expenses system.
The "mole" was among workers who processed the MPs' claims, and his colleagues included soldiers who were moonlighting between tours of Afghanistan and Iraq to earn extra cash for body armour and other equipment.
One of the expense claims which particularly enraged the workers was Brown?s claim for a Sky TV sports package, which cost 36 pounds (39 euros, 57 dollars) per month, according to the Telegraph.
"Hearing from the serving soldiers, about how they were having to work thre to earn money to buy themselves decent equipment, while the MPs could find public money to buy themselves all sorts of extravagances, only added to the feeling that the public needed to know what was going on," the worker said.
The revelations are contained in a book on the scandal, written by two of the newspaper's reporters, to be published on Friday.
It is unclear whether the worker, who faced threat of a police investigation for his actions, was paid for the material he leaked.
The comments came amid confirmation a senior army commander, who led troops in Afghanistan and was reportedly highly critical of the government's treatment of British soldiers, has quit the army.
"We can confirm that Major-General Andrew Mackay has decided to leave the army. This is a personal matter for him," a Ministry of Defence spokesman said.