Politicians from all parties on Tuesday night opened their chequebooks to repay excessive expenses claims,
as they buckled after five days of rising public anger over abuses of the Westminster system.
A “shocked” David Cameron ordered Conservative MPs to start refunding some claims in an attempt to counter revelations of the taxpayer subsidising the lifestyle of Tory grandees.
Hazel Blears, communities secretary, agreed to pay more than £13,000 of capital gains tax arising from the sale of a property she had designated as her “second home” for the purposes of her Westminster expenses. Ms Blears said she had not technically breached the rules, but wanted to do something to rebuild trust in politicians.
Margaret Moran, who billed the taxpayer £22,500 for treating dry rot in a home 100 miles from her Luton constituency, is likely to be among many other Labour MPs told to write cheques under pressure from government whips.
Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrat leader, agreed to pay back £80 for a wrongly claimed telephone bill.
Other Lib Dems also agreed to make similar refunds in the light of new revelations in The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, including the claim Sir Menzies Campbell claimed £10,000 for a top designer to renovate his small London flat.
Mr Brown said the cross-party Commons members’ allowances committee had agreed to interim reforms for the expenses system – including an end to the practice of “flipping” the second home allowance from one property to another – pending permanent reforms.