PM blames 'system' for expenses row

The Prime Minister was forced on to the defensive by the disclosure that he made payments to his brother for cleaning services and claimed twice for the same plumbing bill.

Also revealed in expenses receipts obtained by the Daily Telegraph was that Justice Secretary Jack Straw over-claimed for his council tax and mortgage bills before realising his mistake and paying the money back.

Other ministers faced questions about lavish spending on their properties and other apparent discrepancies.

Challenged about the claims, Mr Brown said he was already trying to overhaul the Parliamentary expenses regime.

"The system doesn't work," he told the BBC. "I've said it doesn't work, it's got to be changed. We voted for change and that change has got to come quickly."

Asked whether MPs should learn to live in the "real world", he said: "Absolutely. That's why the system's got to change. I've been determined over these past few months. The system's wrong, it's not the way to work."

The disclosures about Cabinet ministers' claims are the first of a series planned by the newspaper. The Commons authorities were planning to publish the receipts, edited to remove personal information, in July, and have called in police to investigate the leak.

Former home secretary Charles Clarke has written to the Speaker, Michael Martin, calling for all of the receipts to be published immediately.

Mr Brown repaid the plumbing bill double claim on Thursday. Downing Street said there was nothing "unusual or wrong" about his cleaning payments, which were part of a joint arrangement he had with his brother.