LONDON, JUNE 8: Corrupt British Members of Parliament will face up to seven years in jail under tough new proposals to be announced on Monday, officials said today.

A Bill intended to root out Parliamentary corruption from the British public life is being brought before the House of Commons by Home Secretary Jack Straw on Monday. The Bill, providing for seven years imprisonment, is the result of the defeat of a sitting Conservative MP Neil Hamilton, who denied accepting cash in return for asking questions in Parliament. Hamilton was defeated by former British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) war correspondent Martin Bell, who stood as an independent ``anti-sleaze'' candidate.At present, MPs are not covered by laws on bribery in public bodies. The issue of corruption came to a head in the Parliamentary election which the Labour party won on May 1.

Labour's Mohammed Sarwar, the first Islamic MP in Britain, is currently under investigation following allegations that he broke the election law by lending 5,000 pounds to a rival candidate.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.