British minister becomes latest victim of expenses row

Britain's parliamentary expenses row claimed another victim yesterday with the resignation of a junior finance minister, in a new blow to the government of embattled Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Treasury minister Kitty Ussher said she had not abused the expenses system but did not want to cause Mr Brown or his government any "embarrassment".

Ms Ussher expressed full support for Mr Brown, saying: "I support your leadership and am 100 per cent loyal to the Labour Party which is why I do not wish to cause you or the party any difficulties."

However, the timing of her resignation was embarrassing, coming just moments before Ms Ussher's boss, Finance Minister Alistair Darling, made his annual state-of-the-economy speech in London.

And it is another blow to Mr Brown, who has been seeking to reassert his authority after - in the course of one week earlier this month - 11 of his ministers quit, his Labour party suffered heavy defeats in local and European elections and senior Labour lawmakers openly challenged his leadership.

His Downing Street office sought to limit the damage by naming Ussher's replacement within minutes of her announcement.

"The Prime Minister has accepted the resignation of Kitty Ussher. (Junior communities minister) Sarah McCarthy-Fry has been appointed as her replacement," it said.

A string of MPs from all parties have quit in the past few weeks following revelations in The Daily Telegraph newspaper of lawmakers' lavish parliamentary expenses claims.

Full details of about one million claims from the past four years were due to be officially published by the House of Commons today.

Earlier, the outgoing speaker of the Commons lashed out at Mr Brown and main opposition leader David Cameron for failing to show "leadership" on the issue of expenses, which has caused widespread public outrage.