In 1987, Raymond Donovan, who had been Ronald Reagan’s Labour Secretary, was acquitted of fraud charges. He stood on the court steps and famously asked: “Which office do I go to, to get my reputation back”.

The MPs who are appealing against the judgments made about their expenses by Sir Thomas Legg are in an analogous position (see page ). They may recover some of their money, but recovering their reputation may prove harder. It is for this reason, above all, that Sir Thomas’s proceedings have been a disaster.

Take Jeremy Browne, the Liberal Democrat and the first MP to confirm that he would appeal. Upon entering Parliament, Mr Browne removed equity from a London home that he owned before he was elected and used it to buy a property in his constituency. He then claimed against his allowance for the (now larger) mortgage on the London home. Sir Thomas has concluded that he should not have, and wants him to pay back nearly £18,000.

This is arbitrary justice. If Mr Browne had sold his London flat and bought another one, he would have been able to charge the full mortgage to his allowance. It is none of Sir Thomas’s business what the MP did with equity on his flat that was earned when he was not an MP.

Worse, though, it is retrospective justice. Mr Browne was not simply correct in principle to claim the money. He was actually given it. His allowance claim was submitted and it was accepted. To ask for the money back now is bizarre.

Mr Browne should win his appeal. Whether it will be politically advantageous for him if he does so, is another question altogether.