Tory MPs pay back thousands more in expenses

Conservative party leader David Cameron has ordered Tory MPs to pay back a further 125,000 pounds in parliamentary expenses.

Amid a major scandal over the lavish claims made by members of parliament (MPs) on the public purse, Cameron on Thursday called for the payments -- in addition to the 135,000 pounds already returned -- following an internal party review.

The expenses claims, revealed in a newspaper over the past two months, have caused public outrage and rocked British politics, with a number of MPs stepping down or announcing that they will not stand at the next election because of the revelations.

A new system with an independent watchdog has now been proposed.

MPs from Prime Minister Gordon Brown's ruling Labour party have already paid back more than 300,000 pounds in expenses, according to figures published by the House of Commons authorities on June 18.

Cameron -- who opinion polls suggest could become prime minister at the next general election due within a year -- insisted the repayments were not a sign that all the Conservative MPs had broken the rules.

"It is an effort, both collectively as a party and individually as Conservative MPs, to address the public's anger about what has happened," he said.