purpose of performing their parliamentary duties . '' Do you think politicians in your country are paid enough ? In Britain , as in many other countries , parliamentarians are compensated for the expense of living both in the parts of the country they represent and in the capital where parliament meets . There is help too with travel costs and staffing their offices . But the so-called `` additional costs allowance , '' designed to help them with the additional costs of a second home has , by common consent , been particularly abused . This is not an `` expenses scandal '' about a couple of notepads and pens taken home from the office stationery cupboard for the kids ' school project ; or the annual phone call to an aged aunt in Australia , made on an office line rather than from home -- although doubtless politicians will have been doing that too . Watch more on the expenses row '' We are talking about the deliberate exploitation of a poorly-policed system by a large number of parliamentarians , who appear to many of their constituents to have come close to enriching themselves corruptly at public expense
LONDON , England -LRB- UK -RRB- -- Britain 's Prime Minister Gordon Brown has apologized on behalf of parliamentarians of all parties for a series of revelations about their expenses claims , revelations which have seriously damaged the authority of government and parliament . UK PM Gordon Brown , pictured here in north-east England Monday , apologized Monday on behalf of all lawmakers . Brown 's words have been echoed by David Cameron , the leader of the opposition Conservatives and currently the favorite to win the next general election by a large margin . Cameron acknowledges all MPs must say sorry and that the whole system must be changed . The scandal has come to light because The Daily Telegraph newspaper obtained copies of all the receipts for MPs expenses , which were due to be published in two months time under Freedom of Information legislation . The newspaper has been devoting several pages every day to the details of how the system has been milked , with MPs claiming that expenditure on bath plugs and lawn mowers , silk cushions and television sets , potted plants and dog food , was `` wholly and necessarily incurred for the