Speaker acts to put expenses of MPs online

Speaker John Bercow today led major moves to open up MPs' expenses to more scrutiny in the wake of the overclaiming scandal.

The next set of expenses claims, due out in the autumn, will be published as a searchable online database and will reveal if MPs are "flipping" addresses. Members of the public will be able to click on an entry to bring up a scanned copy of receipts. Crucially, it will show if MPs' second homes are in London or the country.

New rules agreed by the Commons' ruling Members Estimates Committee, chaired by the Speaker, mean less information will be blacked out, including the names of companies supplying MPs. A review of claims covering four years has been extended to cover an extra year, 2008/9. The report will be published along with a list of sums that MPs have paid back to the taxpayer.

In another breakthrough for campaigners, claims that are initially rejected will be refused.