ANDREW MacKay has resigned as Conservative leader David Cameron's Commons aide over "unacceptable" expenses claims, the party announced today.
The MP voluntarily submitted his claims to party officials.
A spokesman for Mr Cameron said: "That examination of Mr MacKay's past allowances revealed an unacceptable situation that would not stand up to reasonable public scrutiny.
"Although Mr MacKay maintains that those arrangements were agreed by the Fees Office, he resigned this morning with immediate effect.
"Mr MacKay has also agreed to appear in front of the scrutiny panel to discuss how much of the allowance should be paid back."
Bracknell MP Mr MacKay, who is married to Bromsgrove Tory MP Julie Kirkbride, claimed the full second-home allowance for interest on their joint mortgage for a London home until April this year.
But at the same time his wife also claimed the full annual sum for mortgage interest on a constituency home – meaning they appeared to have two second homes but no main home, sources said.
Mr MacKay will now appear before the internal review panel being set up by Mr Cameron to review "excessive" claims.
There is no question of him having the whip removed.
Ms Kirkbride, who was previously a political corespondent for the Daily Telegraph which has sparked the latest furore over expenses by printing leaked details of claims, registers the London property as her main home and takes second home allowances for the Bromsgrove home they also share.
The resignation appears to suggest that the newspaper may be preparing to focus its next set of disclosures on the various pairs of married MPs in the Commons.
Previous controversies have surrounded claims by Tory couple Sir Nicholas and Ann Winterton, married cabinet ministers Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper, Labour backbenchers Alan and Ann Keen and Northern Ireland first minister Peter Robinson and his fellow DUP MP spouse Iris.
The Tory panel, which is awaiting the appointment of one further independent member before starting work, was set up by Mr Cameron earlier this week to examine "excessive" claims.
He has vowed to strip the party whip from any who reject its findings and refuse to make repayments.
Mr MacKay later apologised for his actions, saying it had never previously occurred to him there was anything wrong with the arrangement, which he claimed had been suggested to them by the Commons Fees Office.
"I had taken advice from the most senior person at the time in the Fees Office and they had suggested to me that I elect our family home in north Worcestershire, in my wife Julie's constituency," he told Sky News.
"My second home that I claimed on is our home in Westminster, near to the House of Commons. Equally Julie was advised to claim the main home in London, the second home in Bromsgrove.
"This was all transparent, it was all approved and frankly until it was drawn to my attention it did not occur to me that it didn't pass the reasonableness test.
"I must say when it was drawn to my attention my first reaction was that the right thing to do was to resign my post, which I did very first thing today with David."
He said: "Looking back now, it does look strange, I have clearly made an error of judgment for which I profusely apologise and I've done what I think is the right thing."
He promised to pay back however much a new Conservative Party scrutiny committee decided he should.
Mr Cameron, speaking during a visit to Cornwall, said the arrangement had been discovered by the party after Mr MacKay submitted his claims for examination.
He said: "The examination revealed a state of affairs which I don't think is acceptable. He will go before a scrutiny panel to determine how much of this needs to be repaid."
The Tory leader admitted that the expenses scandal had damaged his party.
"Clearly all parties have been damaged by this. We have to put our hands up," he said.
"Every party has taken action to try and sort this out and I have set out what my party is going to do."
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