PM 'bottled MPs' expense reforms'

The Tory leader dismissed the Prime Minister's excuses for failing to turn up for Thursday night's key Commons votes as "utterly feeble", and claimed Government whips had orchestrated wrecking the changes.

However, Mr Brown insisted he had been busy in meetings, and said he was "disappointed" by the result - which means MPs will still be able to claim for luxury items such as plasma screens, fridges and new bathrooms.

As Westminster's sleaze watchdog prepared to launch an independent inquiry into the generous £90m-a-year Commons allowances system, a series of Cabinet ministers were also forced to come out and defend their opposition to the reforms.

Housing minister Caroline Flint said: "I am in favour of a set of reforms to the system of MPs' expenses that can command public confidence, but did not believe that the proposals put to the House last night were the right ones.

"I supply invoices and receipts for all household bills and office expenditure. I firmly believe MPs who abuse the system should be made to repay every penny and in the past have been treated too leniently."

Culture Secretary Andy Burnham insisted he was committed to transparency in allowances, but believed it was a waste of money to bring in external auditors.

"There are different views on this subject and that is why the House was offered a free vote," he said. "I do not claim the current system is perfect but I believe those who voted like me did so for entirely justifiable reasons."

MPs defied the conclusions of a high-level review led by Speaker Michael Martin by retaining the right to kit out second homes using the £24,000-a-year Additional Costs Allowance (ACA). They also killed off moves to subject their expenses to external audits following a host of scandals.

But they approved a new programme to get bigger and better constituency offices at an additional cost to the taxpayer of up to £3.2 million every year.