Francis Bacon, philosopher, statesman, scientist and fraudster?. Photo: Getty Images

We now know that at least 3 MPs and a peer face criminal charges over expenses. Sadly this is far from a new phenomenon in British politics. Total Politics looks at some of the most famous cases of corruption in parliament and rates them for their deceptiveness.

1621. Francis Bacon
It is often forgotten that one of the greatest men of the seventeenth century was a convicted felon. Bacon was Lord Chancellor under James I but was known to be unconcerned with financial issues, allowing corruption to run rife. On 17 April 1621 he was served with twenty-three charges relating to bribes and, after some resistance, he made a spectacular admission. He said: “I do plainly and ingeniously accept that I am guilty of corruption, and do renounce all defence.”
Result: He was fined £40,000 and imprisoned but his friendship with the King allowed him to avoid payment or jail.
Fraudometer: 7/10

1836-8 Benjamin Disraeli
One of the greatest figures of nineteenth century politics had a less noble start to his Westminster career. Disraeli ran for the seat of Maidstone in 1836 and won, but in the following year a lawyer called Charles Austin accused him of bribing his way into parliament. This was not particularly rare at the time but Mr Austin claimed the bribes were unpaid, claims that were probably true. Disraeli went on the attack and Austin sued him for libel.
Result: Disraeli shifted the debate from fraud to libel and he was never tried.
Fraudometer: 4/10

1922 Horatio Bottomley
Undoubtedly the most committed of our fraudsters, Bottomley had a long career of dubious activities that eventually came to a head in 1922. Bottomley, leader of the The People’s League party, had set up the John Bull Victory Bond Club, supposedly to allow small savers to lend money to the government in exchange for a chance of a prize. Bottomley pocketed much of the money, estimated to be around £50 million in today’s terms, but was caught when the company went bust in 1921.
Result: Sentenced for fraud, he spent five years in jail before unsuccessfully trying to return to the public domain.
Fraudometer: 10/10

1950 Captain Peter Baker
A Second World War hero, Baker was elected in 1950 as the MP for South Norfolk. But Baker was only to serve four years in parliament before he was caught forging letters purporting to guarantee their debts. Unlike Bottomley, however, Baker’s fraud was designed to prop up his failing businesses rather than for his personal gain. He later blamed alcoholism for his fraudulent actions.
Result: In 1954 he became the last MP to be expelled from the House of Commons in the twentieth century, a fate that may face today’s disgraced MPs. He was later sentenced to seven years for forgery. On leaving the court the prison escort whispered “seems like a long time to me” to which Baker hissed “Sounds a bloody sight longer to me”
Fraudometer: 8/10

1994 Neil Hamilton and Tim Smith
In 1994 a Guardian report accused Conservative Ministers Neil Hamilton and Tim Smith of accepting ‘Cash for Questions’ in from the businessman Mohammed Al-Fayed. The report claimed that the money had been given to the Ministers by one of the most successful British lobbyists, Ian Greer.
Result: Smith stepped down immediately and Hamilton was heavily defeated at the next election. Hamilton embarked on a long process to clear his name, starting and then cancelling a libel case against The Guardian. In July 1997 Sir Gordon Towney cleared Hamilton of charges he took money indirectly via Mr Greer but concluded there was "compelling" evidence he received cash payments of between £18,000 and £25,000 in brown envelopes at face-to-face meetings with Al Fayed.
Fraudometer: 3/10

So there we have it. Five cases of corruption in British politics, and from some key figures too. So what message should we take away from this? Fraud is the oldest trick in the political book and getting rid of it may be harder than we think.