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Superior parents, Kennedy suggests, toughen kids up by putting them through the measles instead.

These safeguards have been eased over time and are expected to be re-imposed or toughened further.

It is nine years since MPs voted to toughen up the laws on corruption, introducing the very sanctions - on immediately banning criminals from public office - that were used by the judges in this case.

The law had in fact recently been toughened – by the very politicians who were now complaining about its application – to make the penalty for misuse of public funds very severe indeed.

Backing his chancellor on Monday, the prime minister told the BBC: "We've toughened up the rules in terms of declarations, and everything she has done is according to the rules. That's what I would expect."