Peter Hoskin

Brown told to repay £12,415.10 of expenses

Here’s the statement from the office of the PM, courtesy of Sky’s Cheryl Smith:

Mr Brown received a letter from Sir Thomas Legg this afternoon.

Sir Thomas Legg has issued his provisional conclusions to MPs, asking for further information where necessary before concluding in December.

Mr Brown has always supported this process and will cooperate fully and make the necessary repayment.

Mr Brown’s expenses have always been cleared by the House Authorities as entirely consistent with the rules.

He has not claimed the maximum level of expenses.

The Review says its findings “carry no implication about the conduct or motives of the MPs concerned”.

To be absolutely sure, Mr Brown has asked the Cabinet Secretary to ask Sir Philip Mawer in his role as Independent Adviser on Ministers Interests, to consider whether there has been any breach of the Ministerial Code.

He has confirmed there has been no such breach. He says: ‘a request from Sir Thomas for further information or for the repayment of any sum of money does not of itself constitute evidence of a breach of the particular obligations placed on Ministers by the Ministerial Code.

In particular, the application by Sir Thomas of limits to existing categories of expense claims which were previously unrestricted within the overall scope of the ACA allowance does not imply that those who now find their claims to be in excess of the limits he has adopted have breached the Ministerial Code.’

Mr Brown has written to all Ministers urging them, where they are asked, to respond promptly and in full to any requests for further information and when the process is completed to make appropriate repayments.

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