London: The British government plans to introduce new anti-sleaze laws to clean up political life even as a senior Labour party leader launched a frontal attack on the British media for "indulging in a massive campaign of abuse and distortion" in the case of Cherie Blair, wife of the Prime Minister.

Under the proposed anti-sleaze laws, Members of Parliament (MPs) will no longer be protected by the right of Parliamentary privilege, a Centuries-old rule, which gives them immunity from allegations that they acted corruptly in the Houses of Parliament.

The new proposals, being drawn up by Home Secretary David Blunkett, are expected to be included in a new Bill presented to Parliament in 2003. There would also be a separate offence of corruption, punishable by up to seven years in jail, covering MPs as well as public officials.

A senior Home Office source said the Home Secretary was looking to revive these proposals in the next year.

The rule was amended by Conservative Prime Minister John Major to enable the Tory MP Neil Hamilton to sue 'The Guardian' for alleging that he was corrupt.

The courts originally ruled that they could not hear the libel case because it would involve them in making a ruling on whether Hamilton had or had not broken Commons rules, which was matter purely for Parliament.

Hamilton subsequently ducked out of going to court, but another Tory MP, the former Cabinet Minister Jonathan Aitken, sued 'The Guardian' and 'World in Action' for alleging that he received commissions from arms sales.

The case failed and Aitken was jailed for perjury. There was no law that would have enabled the police to investigate allegations that Aitken or Hamilton was corrupt.

Two Tory MPs who were caught accepting 1,000 Pounds from an undercover journalist were punished with suspension from the Commons, but were immune from prosecution.

"These anti-corruption measures would stop Aitken-type offences where officials abuse Parliamentary privileges," a newspaper said on December 15, quoting Home Office sources.

In a strongly worded attack on the media for its "despicable" attacks on Cherie Blair, the outspoken Secretary of State for International Development Clare Short said, "This kind of crummy journalism must stop."

After two weeks of obsessive media attacks on Cherie Blair, "It is time for fair- minded people to stand back and admit that she has been unfairly hunted and hurt and that a halt should be called to the frenzy," she wrote in 'The Sunday Telegraph' on December 15.

"The absolutely worst thing that she did was to tell the 'Number 10' press office that Peter Foster was not her financial adviser – which he was not. This left them with the impression that Cherie was denying that he helped her buy the flats in Bristol, and thus they unintentionally misled the press," she said.

Stating that it had been an awful two weeks for Cherie and very sad two weeks for political journalism, Clare said, "I feel the quality of the whole of British politics and public life is being damaged by this kind of crummy journalism."

PTI