Last update: Thu Jun 18 2009 23:07:29
Latest Headlines:

    Cameron pays back expenses cash

    David Cameron has become the latest MP to pay back some of his expenses as details of all claims have finally been published by the House of Commons.

    The Tory leader is paying back £947 to the Commons Fees Office which includes the £680 already announced for the removal of wisteria at his home.

    The release of tens of thousands of claim forms and receipts on the Parliament website come more than a year after the High Court ordered their publication and weeks after they were leaked to the Daily Telegraph.

    But with much of the detail that led to a public outcry blacked out, their publication is likely to lead to demands for greater openness.

    Revelations about the claims have forced a series of MPs to announce their resignations in the past month.

    Junior Treasury minister Kitty Ussher became the latest scalp on Wednesday night when she quit the Government following allegations that she avoided paying capital gains tax by "flipping" her second home.

    In a letter to Gordon Brown, the Burnley MP said she had not abused the expenses system, but did not want to cause "any embarrassment" to the Prime Minister or his Government.

    The publication covers printed documents and receipts relating to MPs' claims between 2004/05 and 2007/08 for a series of parliamentary allowances, but with many personal details edited out.

    David Davies, the Tory MP for Monmouth, defended a claim for £1,933.83 paid to his father's haulage company for stamps, producing leaflets and a screen for an exhibition stand.

    Elliot Morley, the Labour former minister under investigation for claiming £16,888 of "phantom" mortgage payments on expenses has now had to repay a further £20,000 to the taxpayer.

    © Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved.

    You are watching

    Following weeks of controversy, everybody can now see the expenses made by their MP - details have officially been published online.

    Duration
    Duration: 55s
    ITN
    © ITN. All rights reserved.
    Terms & Conditions
    Partners
    Services
    Media Centre
    Contact
    Working at ITN