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Scrap second home allowance - PM Scrap second home allowance - PM
(10 minutes later)
Gordon Brown has suggested scrapping the controversial second home payment for MPs as part of a wide-ranging shake-up of parliamentary allowances.Gordon Brown has suggested scrapping the controversial second home payment for MPs as part of a wide-ranging shake-up of parliamentary allowances.
Mr Brown has told a committee looking at MPs' expenses the £23,083 annual allowance could be replaced with a flat-rate payment for overnight stays.Mr Brown has told a committee looking at MPs' expenses the £23,083 annual allowance could be replaced with a flat-rate payment for overnight stays.
He also urged the committee to begin its review as early as possible.He also urged the committee to begin its review as early as possible.
His intervention comes after rows over allowances claimed by ministers including Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.His intervention comes after rows over allowances claimed by ministers including Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.
Controversies
Ms Smith was criticised for claiming more than £116,000 in allowances for her family home in the West Midlands after nominating her sister's property in London - where she stayed several nights a week - as her main residence.
This and other cases prompted calls for reform of the additional costs allowance, which covers the cost of an MP staying away from their main residence to perform their parliamentary duties.
MPs can claim a maximum of £23,083 in such costs every year, including those who live in outer London.
It recently emerged that Employment Minister Tony McNulty claimed the allowance towards his parents home in Harrow which he used in addition to a flat in central London.
In a letter to the Committee on Standards in Public Life, which is looking into MPs' pay and expenses, Mr Brown urged it to consider replacing the existing payment with a "simpler overnight allowance" that would be independently determined.
He also suggested that all London MPs should receive the same allowance, ending the current distinction which allows those in outer London to make the additional claim.
'Making progress'
Opposition MPs have criticised the fact the review is not due to start until the autumn, and unlikely to report before the next election, and called for it to be brought forward.
In his letter, Mr Brown said: "I would be grateful if you could look to both start and conclude the review earlier than previously indicated to allow us to make progress on the issue as soon as practical".
At an earlier press conference, Mr Brown said he wanted to ensure the allowances system was improved, stressing that public scrutiny was a "necessary element" of democracy.
He also defended Jacqui Smith who came under fresh pressure after it emerged she inadvertently claimed on expenses the cost of two adult movies watched by her husband.