UK MPs spend millions of taxpayers' money to clean their flats

London, May 8 (ANI): British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has spent an astonishing 6,577 pounds of the taxpayers' money for cleaning up his flat in times of recession when UK citizens are struggling to make both ends meet.

Brown's expenses were revealed along with those of 12 of his most senior Cabinet colleagues, who submitted 1.5 million receipts from 2004 to 2008.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw, Business Secretary Lord Mandelson, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears, Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy, Culture chief Andy Burnham, Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward and Housing Minister Caroline Flint all had their claims laid bare.

Commons leader Harriet Harman tried to defend the ministers.

"The claims are assessed and only paid out by the House of Commons Fees Office if they believe they were within the rules and that the MP is entitled to be paid out on that claim. Though they might have been claims made in good faith, that's not acceptable for the future and we are changing the system," The Sun quoted her as saying.According to the revelation, Brown used his MPs' allowances to give his brother Andrew the cash to organize the works required in his flat.

Downing Street, however, insisted Gordon and Andrew Brown, who is a senior executive at EDF Energy, shared a cleaner at their two flats in London, and the PM was simply reimbursing his brother for his share of the costs.

"The claims were made because in order to represent constituents effectively, MPs have to live in their constituencies and in London. At all times Gordon Brown acted with the full approval of the parliamentary authorities," Brown's spokesman said.

The hugely embarrassing details of MPs' expense claims were due to come out in July, but Cabinet ministers' claims emerged in the Daily Telegraph last night.

Voters will be shocked by the extent of expense claims made by MPs over the four years. (ANI)