PM Brown could face expenses call

Downing Street is braced for auditors to say the Prime Minister should hand back some of the money spent on a cleaner for his London flat.

Although there is no suggestion of impropriety, the move would be embarrassing for Mr Brown, who personally insisted on the re-examination of all claims from the past five years. Aides have signalled he will abide by the review's conclusions.

The audit team led by former civil servant Sir Thomas Legg is due to send out letters to all MPs, disclosing whether there are any problems with their expenses.

More than half will reportedly be told they should either make repayments, or need to provide further details about claims.

Sir Thomas is believed to have been examining cases where MPs have used parliamentary expenses to improve their second homes and make a profit, rather than just maintain them.

He is also said to have uncovered more examples where taxpayers' money has been used to pay off the capital element of mortgages, instead of just interest on the borrowing, as is allowed under the rules.

The letters will be sent out privately, and Sir Thomas is not expected to deliver his final report until December.

They will also receive an email containing a detailed analysis of their use of the Additional Costs Allowance (ACA), which is intended to help meet the costs of running a second home, the newspaper reported.

MPs will be told they have three weeks to challenge Sir Thomas's findings and can appeal to the Commons' standards and privileges committee if they do not agree with his conclusions.