“Nothing is more essential to the establishment of manners in a state than that all persons employed in places of power and trust be men of unexceptionable character,” wrote American Founding Father Samuel Adams. If he was right, then Britain is in serious trouble.

A recent scandal in the British Parliament shows that, as a whole, an entire generation of British leaders lack integrity and character.

The basic salary of a British member of Parliament (MP) is ₤63,291 (us$104,000). Yet in 2007, on average MPs claimed over twice this amount in expenses: £135,600 (us$223,900) per MP. Many did this by fiddling their expenses claims. Some stretched the rules. Many lied outright. The Daily Mail reported that to receive the same benefits as the average MP, an ordinary taxpayer would have to earn a salary of £319,165 (us$524,500).

Some claim that a fraud of a few thousand pounds—when billions of pounds is being spent on the economy—is no big deal. They are wrong. This type of behavior is ripping apart the moral fiber of the nation.

The now infamous second home allowance allows MPs to receive money from the government to fund a second home in London. MPs are expected to live in the local area they represent and attend debates at the House of Commons in London. This means that MPs living far from the capital need to have two homes—one in their constituency and one in London.

For many MPs this is a perfectly legitimate expense, but many also misused and abused this privilege. One MP claimed ₤13,000 (us$21,469) in interest payments for a mortgage that was already paid off—stealing ₤13,000 from taxpayers. Several other MPs over-claimed interest and rent on houses.

The law states that MPs can claim expenses that were “wholly, exclusively and necessarily [incurred when staying] overnight away from [their] only or main home for the purpose of performing [their] duties as a member of Parliament.” This includes not only the cost of the second house, but other necessary expenses that they incur in living away from home. But MPs have claimed a great many non-necessities: multiple tvs, luxury furniture, moat dredging, duck houses, and the odd candy bar to name just a few.

MPs have to notify the government which is their main home and which is their secondary home—the one they can claim expenses on. However, many MPs have designated the house where they spend the most time as their secondary home so they can claim as expenses many of the items that they would usually buy.

Then there’s the practice now known as “flipping.” This is where MPs change which house they designate as their secondary home for their own profit. For example, one MP furnished his London home on expenses, then later designated a new home in Surrey as his secondary home so he could furnish it at the taxpayers’ expense as well.

This kind of abuse is not limited to a few isolated cases. According to research by the Sunday Times, “At least half of the House of Commons’ 646 MPs will be swept away at the general election, as voters take revenge on the political classes for the expenses scandal” (emphasis mine). The Times continues, “As many as 30 will be forced to resign directly because of the expenses scandal, while whips expect more than 200 to quit because they are unable to cope with continued public anger. Up to 90 MPs will be voted out in the election.” A full list of all the MPs being investigated by the British Telegraph newspaper is available here.

This will be a huge shakeup of the political system in Britain. It also reveals a huge character crisis in Britain’s leaders.

Many MPs have tried to make the excuse that because their claims were approved by the House of Commons Fees Office, they were within the rules. They blame the system, not themselves.

Granted, the Fees Office should not have allowed MPs to make claims that were unnecessary and immoral. But blaming the Fees Office is like a thief blaming his victim for not better defending his property.

Besides, as Samuel Adams once said, “Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt.”

No system created by man is perfect, but in this case the system is not at the greatest fault. Britain’s leaders are. National success occurs when morally upright leaders defend and uphold the rule of law. When immoral leaders exploit the very law they’re supposed to cherish, the rule of law breaks down, lethal social immorality prevails, and the nation falls apart. Nations need men who will do their best for their country, not do whatever they can get away with.

Some shrug the whole scandal off as no big deal. After all, the amount of money involved is paltry compared to the vast amount being burned up in vain to try to fix the economy. What does it matter if some politicians skim off a few thousand pounds here and there? some reason. That’s nothing compared to the billions of pounds bailing out banks.

Such thinking misses the point. A nation’s reserves of character are far more important than its monetary wealth. A nation with stalwart character can pull itself back from economic bankruptcy. A morally bankrupt nation is doomed.

“Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike,” said Theodore Roosevelt.

It is a lesson written in history: Without strong character the nation will fall!

A glance at the news in Britain shows the country has a character crisis. Knife crime, teenage pregnancies and binge drinking frequently make the front page. Incidences of lying, cheating and stealing are common. A recent Guardian article detailed the rampant cheating of university applicants. One could argue that these young people are just following the example of the nation’s leaders.

British historian and writer Paul Johnson lamented back in 2006, “Before the Second World War, when I was a boy in the Staffordshire Potteries, I never heard of anything being stolen. There was great poverty but there were also the Ten Commandments, and God was around a lot in those days. Indeed, if you lost something in the streets, the person who picked it up would go to a lot of trouble to find out where you lived and return it to you.”

That kind of morality is nearly gone. Today it is every man for himself. Selfishness is the standard.

The corruption scandal in Parliament is both a product and a cause of this dearth in morality, which, in turn, has everything to do with Britain’s problems today. The leaders have few morals, fostering selfishness and dishonesty in the people, leading to the nation’s decline.

The Prophet Isaiah spoke specifically about this gaping void in moral leadership. Speaking about Britain, he wrote in Isaiah 3: “For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, doth take away … The mighty man, and the man of war, the judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, The captain of fifty, and the honorable man, and the counselor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them” (verses 1-4).

This prophecy applies to society today (for more information, see our booklet Isaiah’s End-Time Vision). Honorable rulers are a rarer and rarer breed, and in their stead, corruption reigns.

Former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower once wrote, “A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.” That is exactly what this scandal is all about. The MPs sacrificed their principles in order to get more privileges. Their lack of character is leading the whole nation further into decline.

The Prophet Hosea also prophesied that Britain’s rulers would bring the nation down: “Ephraim [Britain] is joined to idols: let him alone. Their drink is sour: they have committed whoredom continually: her rulers with shame do love” (Hosea 4:17-18). To prove that the British are the modern descendants of Ephraim, request our free book The United States and Britain in Prophecy.

The Trumpet has long forecasted that Britain will be taken into captivity because of its national sins. Yet the Bible prophesies that this captivity will also serve to correct the course of the nation. Its punishment will be severe, but it will lead to these moral problems being solved, and Britain finally turning to God.