Clegg urges tougher expenses action

Writing in the Telegraph, he said: "I think most people expected the worst offences to come under the toughest scrutiny. Every single MP who 'flipped', avoided capital gains tax or claimed for non-existent mortgages, must be forced to repay the money and be held to account."

It comes as Gordon Brown is due to face David Cameron over the Commons dispatch box for the first time since the summer break. There is deepening anger from MPs on all sides over demands to repay their expenses.

Both party leaders have insisted that their MPs must co-operate fully with the audit of their second homes allowances carried out by former Whitehall mandarin Sir Thomas.

But with MPs facing bills, in some cases running into thousands of pounds, the Prime Minister's Questions session will take place against a backdrop of barely-suppressed fury.

Many backbenchers are angry at what they regard as the arbitrary manner in which Sir Thomas has retrospectively imposed limits of £2,000 on claims for cleaning and £1,000 for gardening in any one year.

At Westminster there was talk on Tuesday of a possible legal challenge to his report as both Labour and Tory MPs complained that he had violated the principles of natural justice.

Many are angry that they will not only be hit financially, but that their reputations are being besmirched even though they believed that they were acting within the rules at the time. But Mr Brown and Mr Cameron are adamant that only by acceding to Sir Thomas's demands can MPs finally hope to draw a line under the expenses scandal which rocked Parliament earlier this year.

Both have threatened tough action against any dissenters in their ranks who will not toe the line, with Mr Cameron saying he will bar any Tory from standing at the next election.

The Tories on Tuesday night disclosed that 11 members of the shadow cabinet had agreed to pay back more than £17,000, with shadow business secretary Ken Clarke topping the list with a bill for £4,733 - although he was still discussing the exact amount he would have to pay.