Andrew MacKay: 'I feel that it is important to apologise'
Conservative MP Andrew MacKay has quit as parliamentary aide to David Cameron over what the party said was an "unacceptable" expenses claim.
He claimed full second home allowance on his London address, while his wife, Tory MP Julie Kirkbride, claimed the full allowance for another home.
Mr Cameron has said all Tory MPs must be able to defend their expenses.
 Elliot Morley was said to be "heartbroken" |
A former minister has admitted he claimed £16,000 on expenses for a mortgage that had been paid off.
Labour MP Elliot Morley told the BBC he had repaid some back and it had been a mistake which he felt terrible about.
The Daily Telegraph reported he claimed £800 a month for a Scunthorpe property for 18 months after the mortgage ended.
More than 20 MPs have said they will pay back claims totalling nearly £130,000, amid public anger after days of revelations from leaked receipts.
Phil Hope: "The public anger has been a massive blow to me"
Health minister Phil Hope is to repay £41,709 in second home allowances following media revelations.
The Labour MP said he had kept to the rules but stories about his expenses had caused a "massive blow" to his integrity and standing with voters.
It is the biggest amount an MP has paid back as all parties attempt to repair the damage to their reputation.
Hazel Blears says public outrage and the need to rebuild trust prompted her decision
Hazel Blears has said she will pay £13,332 in capital gains tax on the sale of her "second home" after criticism about her expenses claims.
The communities secretary told Commons staff her London flat was her "second home" on which she claimed expenses.
But when she sold it she did not pay CGT, due on homes the Inland Revenue does not consider a "main residence".
She said she had acted within the rules but knew people were "really angry" and paying it was "the right thing to do".
Lord Mandelson, who claimed £2,850 for his home, before quitting as an MP and selling it for a large profit, said the claims were for essential repairs. 
Justice Secretary Jack Straw said he had repaid £1,500 which he claimed to cover the full rate of council tax on his constituency home - when he was getting a 50% discount. He told the BBC he had acted "in complete good faith and within the rules" but regretted the "error" on council tax.
Downing Street says there was "nothing wrong" with Gordon Brown's £6,500 claim to pay his brother for a cleaner.
The Telegraph revelations include Communities Secretary Hazel Blears claiming three different properties within a year were her "second home" - the first her Salford constituency, the second two in London. MPs can claim up to £24,000 a year towards the costs of their second home.Gordon Brown: 'A new approach... is required'
The Prime Minister has insisted there should be "no reward for failure" at banks which have had to be bailed out by the taxpayer.
Gordon Brown was speaking after reports Royal Bank of Scotland is considering awarding large bonuses, despite expectations of huge annual losses.
However Mr Brown stopped short of saying the government would impose a salary cap on rescued banks.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7871828.stm
 Construction and maintenance workers around the UK have protested |
Gordon Brown should apologise for his "British jobs for British workers" pledge in the wake of wildcat strikes across the UK, say the Tories.
Tory leader David Cameron said the PM's words, cited by protesters who walked out in a row over Italian workers at a refinery, had been a "huge mistake".
He said it was "pandering to people's fears" and an "error of judgement".
But Mr Brown said it was his "duty" to help Britons acquire skills needed to get jobs in a global market.
Barack Obama meets former Prime Minister Tony Blair
Tony Blair has become the first leading British politician to meet Barack Obama since he was sworn in as US President.
The former prime minister was welcomed as a "very good friend" by Mr Obama, as he gave a speech at the traditional National Prayer Breakfast.
He advised the new president: "You don't need cheerleaders but partners, not spectators but supporters."
Mr Obama praised Mr Blair as "somebody who did it first and perhaps did it better than I will do".
In his speech, Mr Blair had some words of advice for the new president, telling him: "The truest friends are those still around when the going gets toughest."
Mr Blair, who converted to Catholicism after leaving office, warned that the "public eye is not always the most congenial".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7873000.stm
 The flag was the centrepiece of an agreement-signing ceremony |
The government has been criticised for displaying the Union flag upside down at the signing of a trade agreement.
A plastic flag was flown incorrectly for a ceremony involving Gordon Brown, Chinese premier Wen Jiabao and Trade Secretary Lord Mandelson.
The Flag Institute said it was "concerned" about the mistake and Tory MP Andrew Rosindell called it "an unbelievable flaw in protocol".
BBC News website readers got in touch to point out the error.
The Union flag - more commonly described as the Union Jack - has been in use since the Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland came into force in 1801.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7866938.stm
