This paper provides a systematic examination of the political accounts issued by Members of Parliament (MPs) during the 2009 MPs Expenses Scandal. Research on scandal management shows that the damage control strategies of public officials influence blame and responsibility attributions and carry significant impact on their electoral fortunes, independently of the effect of the scandal. This study puts this theory to text in the UK context. Following the publication of the scandal by the Telegraph which implicated over 300 political actors, public opinion polls (e.g. The Sun on May 15, 2009; The Times May 31, 2009), the European election and national election results in 2010 showed that the scandal became a significant threat to individual careers resulting to willing or unwilling resignation or retirement, challenging MPs’ reputations but also the reputation of parties, the Prime Minister and the Parliament. I employ content analysis of newspaper articles that reported on the MPs Expenses Scandal, and record how political accounts in the form of excuses, concessions, justifications and denials were used by the implicated MPs. The content analysis sheds light on how public officials’ damage control strategies determine blame attribution and why some political actors survive while others suffer the effects of political scandals.
