An expense scandal is echoing across the hallowed halls of Britain's parliament after a newspaper published details Friday of personal spending claims by some top government ministers.
Those named include British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Now they are being forced to explain bills that were submitted, which range the trivial to the extravagant.
An ice cube tray. A pack of cookies. Even a pornographic movie.
According to Britain's Daily Telegraph, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith claimed the costs of two pay-per-view porn movies watched by her husband. Smith said she later repaid the money
Brown -- then Britain's treasury chief -- paid his brother 6,500 pounds ($11,300 Cdn.) for cleaning services done at Brown's London apartment.
A spokesperson for the prime minister later defended the claim, saying Brown had to pay out of pocket for a cleaner he and his brother jointly employed.
The newspaper says several ministers used lax regulations to wrack up hefty bills to pay for housing taxes and the cost of furnishing homes.
Justice Secretary Jack Straw reportedly claimed the cost of housing taxes he'd never actually paid -- though later reimbursed authorities. In a handwritten note explaining his mistake, the newspaper says Straw wrote that "accountancy does not appear to be my strongest suit."
On the other end of the scale there were bills submitted for even small priced items like two tins of cat food, a chocolate Santa Claus and a bag costing less than a dime.
In all figures show that Britain's 646 members of the House of Commons claimed a grand total of 93 million pounds ($162,685,048 Cdn.)
