It has been reported that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown claimed back £6,000 after paying his brother for cleaning his Westminster flat.
The revelation is among details of expense claims made by British cabinet ministers that were published by the Daily Telegraph.
The newspaper has obtained details of receipts for claims made by the prime minister and senior members of the cabinet.
Campaign group the TaxPayers' Alliance said the claims showed the need for 'urgent and wholesale reform' of the expenses system.
But the ministers involved denied wrongdoing, while Labour's Leader of the Commons Harriet Harman said the government had already moved to ensure that the system is tightened up.
Benedict Brogan of the Daily Telegraph declined to say how the paper had obtained the information.
He told the BBC: 'One of the great rules about journalism is that you never talk about your sources.
'What matters is that we've established that this information is reliable and it is certainly in the public interest that we publish it.'
Although there is no allegation any of the ministers broke parliamentary rules, the report is certain to raise further concerns over MPs' £24,000-a-year second home allowance.
An independent review of MPs' expenses due to report by the end of this year is expected to recommend a thorough overhaul of the system.
But Mr Brown had to drop his attempt to replace the second home allowance with a daily attendance payment after failing to secure all-party support.
A spokesman for Mr Brown said that he and his brother shared a cleaner at their two flats.
Andrew Brown paid the cleaner and the prime minister reimbursed his share of the cost.
The double claim for the plumbing bill was an 'inadvertent error' by Mr Brown's office, which contacted the parliamentary fees office and repaid the cash as soon as it came to light, said the spokesman.
Mr Brown's spokesman added: 'The claims were made because in order to represent constituents effectively, MPs have to live in their constituencies and in London.
'At all times Gordon Brown acted with the full approval of the parliamentary authorities.'
