David Cameron finally prevailed in a stand-off with Tory MEPs over their parliamentary allowances yesterday as he sought to harness public anger over pay and expenses.

More than a dozen Conservative MEPs who had refused to say whether they used their staffing allowances to employ family members were ordered to comply and to disclose fuller details of their expenses claims.

The climbdown by the MEPs — after inquiries by The Times and a plea by text message from Mr Cameron himself — came as the Conservative leader accused Gordon Brown of responding too slowly to voters’ concerns over the way in which payments to politicians are made.

Mr Brown later raised the controversy over MEPs’ expenses with Hans-Gert Pöttering, the leader of the European Parliament, who visited him in Downing Street. Mr Brown urged him to come forward swiftly with plans for greater transparency.

The issue of MEPs’ allowances was not on the original agenda. Mr Brown’s spokesman had said that they would discuss climate change, development issues, Africa and the Middle East. But a short time later No 10 issued a statement saying: “The Prime Minister also raised his concerns about the lack of transparency in the administration of expenses of Members of the European Parliament. Dr Pöttering agreed on the scale of the problem and set out his proposals to tackle it. The Prime Minister called for an expeditious response.”

Mr Cameron held a separate meeting with Dr Pöttering at which he called for the suppressed internal report on MEPs’ expenses to be published. Critics have said that the report highlighted widespread abuse. Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, had similarly called for the report’s publication at a meeting on Tuesday.

Half of Mr Cameron’s MEPs had refused to make voluntary declarations of their use of Brussels allowances. A total of 13 had failed to respond when asked by The Sunday Times last week whether they used their staffing allowances to employ family members, and in what capacity.

Mr Cameron had ordered frontbench Tory MPs to make full declarations of expenses claims and family employees after the Derek Conway scandal and urged backbenchers to do the same. He intervened on Saturday with a plea to his MEPs.

They were surprised to receive text messages from Mr Cameron saying that they were “strongly advised” to declare their expenses and that Giles Chichester, their group leader and initially one of those refusing to comply, would co-ordinate their response.

But it was only yesterday that most appeared ready to fall in line. The Times had approached several MEPs to ask about their use of European Parliament allowances.

Although it spares Mr Cameron embarrassment as he calls for sweeping reforms of MPs’ pay, allowances and pensions at Westminster, the episode is likely to increase the tensions with some of his MEPs. They have been split by his search for a more Eurosceptic centre-Right grouping.

Labour MEPs have been told by Mr Brown to be open in declaring their expenses. They point out that their group arranged independent auditing of their claims. But Eluned Morgan, a Labour MEP, was among members of the Brussels audit committee to vote against debating the report in what was seen as an attempt to suppress it.

Ms Morgan said: “It was not a vote on publication of the report. We were told categorically that we did not have the authority to release this report. The vote was on whether we should discuss it and put it on as an agenda item at 6.25 at night. I just think this needs some serious time.”

In the Commons, Mr Cameron again sought to cast himself as closer to the public mood in demanding sweeping reforms to the way politicians are rewarded, saying that MPs’ pay should be set independently, their final-salary pensions should be phased out and their allowances should be subject to full transparency.

His demands provoked a scornful response from Mr Brown, who said that MPs had already decided that they should no longer decide their pay and that he had already written to the Speaker proposing greater openness.

Txt msg wrning

David Cameron’s text message, sent on Saturday, read:

“MEPs are strongly advised to follow equal disclosure to that required of frontbench MPs. GC will determine the appropriate details in the context of EP rules”

(GC is Giles Chichester, the Tory leader; EP is European Parliament)

The following Tory MEPs did not respond when asked if they employed family members:

Richard Ashworth South East
David Sumberg North West
Sajjad Karim North West
Den Dover North West
John Purvis Scotland
Nirj Deva South East
James Elles South East
Daniel Hannan South East
Giles Chichester South West and Gibraltar
Caroline Jackson South West
Timothy Kirkhope Yorkshire and the Humber
Christopher Beazley East
Robert Sturdy East

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