MEMBERS of Parliament are to continue to benefit from free car parking at the House of Commons into the new millennium, despite being branded hypocrites for their 'double standards' by Liberal Democrat environment spokesman MP Norman Baker.

He recently condemned his fellow politicians' lavish mileage allowances and free car parking. But when he fired a question in the House of Commons at Paddy Tipping MP, Parliamentary Secretary for the Privy Council office, demanding to know why MPs get free parking when only next door in Westminster the public have to pay £20 for 12 hours he was told nothing would change for at least a year.

The response from Tipping was: 'The honourable gentleman should remember that the Greater London Authority Bill was introduced by the Labour party. It gives the Mayor of London or the boroughs the opportunity to charge at a future date. The House will look carefully at the response from the new Mayor (due to be elected in May 2000) and we shall respond accordingly once that advice has been given.'

Baker says the situation needs urgent action and has tabled a motion to reform MPs' motoring allowances, first by reviewing the fixed allowance of 50.1p per mile for car travel, instead preventing them from claiming any more than the same journey would cost by train, and secondly calling for the MPs' 326 free car parking spaces at the House of Commons to be charged at the same rate as the neighbouring car park.