UK MPs must repay $2.5m

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British MPs have been ordered to repay more than 1.1 million pounds (NZ$2.52m ) in allowances following a review prompted by last year's expenses scandal.

Thomas Legg, who carried out the review of expenses relating to MPs' second homes, said the system was deeply flawed.

"Taken with the prevailing lack of transparency and the culture of deference, this meant that the Fees Office's decisions lacked legitimacy; and many of them were in fact mistaken," he said in the introduction to his report.

Just over half of the 752 MPs and former members reviewed have been asked to make repayments - with the single highest sum being over 42,000 pounds (NZ$96,000), he added.

Payments in excess of 2000 pounds (NZ$4500) a year for cleaning and 1000 pounds (NZ$2290) for garden maintenance were ruled to have been disproportionate.

Legg also uncovered a small number of cases where MPs used their allowances for transactions involving a relative, business associate or employee. He said these breached the requirement of propriety and that the whole allowance had to be repaid.

Reports about MPs' lavish claims for expenses and milking the system by changing the designation of their second home sparked outrage last year and undermined support for the three main parties.

Around 140 MPs are to stand down at this year's election, some of them having seen their reputations tarnished by the scandal.

- Reuters