Tories 'flipped property to claim'

The latest revelations from the Daily Telegraph suggested senior Tories had engaged in the tactic of "flipping" property designations to claim more allowances.

Among them was shadow schools secretary Michael Gove - one of Mr Cameron's closest allies - who spent £7,000 over five months on a London property before buying a house in Surrey and claiming thousand of pounds more on that one.

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley apparently renovated a Tudor thatched cottage on the taxpayer tab shortly before selling it, while shadow Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan was forced to apologise after admitting she had put through dog food on expenses.

Mr Cameron reacted swiftly by issuing an apology for his party's involvement with Westminster's discredited allowances regime.

But there was relief at Conservative Central Office that he and the Tories' other two top figures - shadow foreign secretary William Hague and shadow chancellor George Osborne - seemed to have escaped relatively unscathed.

Meanwhile, Speaker Michael Martin proposed "serious change" to the system of MPs' allowances.

In a Commons statement, Mr Martin said there would be independent audit of MPs' claims in future.

"But working to the rules and the rules alone isn't what is expected of any honourable Member," he told them. "It is important that the spirit of what is right must be brought in now."

An "operational assurance unit" was being set up to the provide independent oversight of claims, he added.