Tory MPs to repay expenses

Conservative MPs are to repay "excessive" expense claims, David Cameron has said, while MPs from other parties are likely to face the same requirements.

After a day of crisis meetings with advisers, the shadow cabinet and his parliamentary party, the Tory leader held a press conference to outline his proposals.

Shadow cabinet members have agreed to pay back thousands of pounds, he told reporters.

And the party is to set up a scrutiny panel to assess all "excessive" expense claims by Tory MPs and order them to be repaid where necessary.

Any who refuse to return the cash will have the Conservative whip removed and face being expelled from the parliamentary party.

In addition, Conservative MPs will be permitted to claim only rent, mortgage interest, overnight stays and council tax bills.

The practice of claiming for food or furniture will be halted.

Expressing his anger at some of the claims reported by the Daily Telegraph, Cameron said: "I don't care if they were within the rules, they were wrong."

In future, all Conservative MPs will also be required to publish all their expense claims on the internet as they make them.

"I want to start by saying sorry, sorry that it has come to this, sorry for the actions of some Conservative MPs," he said.

"Let me make this absolutely clear. I've said we want to put responsibility at the heart of our society and thrift at the heart of our government, so we have got to live by those values.

"Conservative MPs that have made excessive expense claims will have to go in front of that scrutiny panel and pay back the money agreed or they will no longer be Conservative MPs."

Meanwhile, Harriet Harman called for a system to be set up for MPs to pay back "excessive" expenses.

And the Commons leader also called for a "moratorium" on current expenses claims until the problems are sorted out.

"There are a set of rules and we want to be sure that if money has been paid out with those rules then it's paid back," Harman told the BBC.

Signs of the pressure MPs are under to repay some of their claims came when three Conservative MPs agreed to pay back claims for swimming pool maintenance.

And Labour MP Margaret Moran has announced she will repay £22,500 used to treat dry rot at a property 100 miles from her constituency.