Video: Brown 'angry' as three MPs and a peer charged over expenses

The MPs - Elliot Morley of Scunthorpe, David Chaytor of Bury North and Livingston's Jim Devine - all denied the accusations, as did Conservative peer Lord Hanningfield, who faces six charges relating to his claims for House of Lords allowances.

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Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer announced this morning that charges were being brought under the Theft Act following a nine-month investigation sparked by the leak of expenses details to the Daily Telegraph.

Lord Hanningfield, who is leader of Essex County Council, was immediately suspended from the parliamentary Conservative Party and resigned his position as a frontbench business spokesman in the House of Lords.

The charges under the Theft Act, dating back to 2004, carry a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.

Lord Hanningfield said he was "extremely disappointed" to be charged and insisted all his expenses claims were made in good faith.

"I totally refute the charges and will vigorously defend myself against them. I have never claimed more in expenses than I have spent in the course of my duties."

He said he was standing down as Tory business spokesman to avoid any "embarrassment or distraction" to the party.

In a statement, the three Labour MPs said: "We are clearly extremely disappointed that the DPP has decided to instigate proceedings against us.

"We totally refute any charges that we have committed an offence and we will defend our position robustly."

The MPs said they believed their cases should have been dealt with by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, adding: "We are confident of our position and have been advised by eminent QCs."

Visiting Exeter for a regional meeting of the Cabinet, Mr Brown told reporters: "I am very angry about what has happened.

"We took steps some months ago to remove the right of these people to stand as candidates for the Labour Party. These are very serious criminal allegations.

"All criminal allegations have got to be investigated. It's a matter now for the courts. We have got to get rid of that old politics, it cannot be part of the new system.

"That's why I put forward proposals not just to reform the MPs' expenses system but to reform the way that Parliament works and the link between Parliament and the people of this country."

The four parliamentarians are due to appear before City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on March 11 - less than a month before the expected start of the general election campaign.

Mr Morley is alleged to have dishonestly claimed a total of 30,428 more than he was entitled to in second home expenses on a house in Winterton, near Scunthorpe, between 2004 and 2007 - including 18 months after the mortgage on the property was paid off.

Mr Chaytor faces charges that he claimed almost 13,000 in rent in 2005 and 2006 on a London flat which he owned, as well as 5,425 to rent a property in Lancashire owned by his mother. He is also alleged to have dishonestly claimed 1,950 for IT services using false invoices in May 2006.

Mr Devine is alleged to have claimed 3,240 for cleaning services and 5,505 for stationery using false invoices in 2008 and 2009.

And Lord Hanningfield faces six charges of false accounting, relating to claims for overnight allowances from the House of Lords between March 2006 and May 2009, when records allegedly show he was in fact driven to his home near Chelmsford.

Mr Starmer said the Crown Prosecution Service was continuing to consider one further case, while insufficient evidence had been found to bring charges against Labour peer and former party chairman Lord Clarke of Hampstead.

Speaking at the CPS's London headquarters, Mr Starmer said six files passed to the CPS by Scotland Yard had been reviewed "very carefully by senior prosecuting lawyers in the CPS, assisted where necessary by an external and highly experienced QC".

He added: "Lawyers representing those who have been charged have raised with us the question of parliamentary privilege.

"We have considered that question and concluded that the applicability and extent of any parliamentary privilege claimed should be tested in court."

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Page 2: 13:44The charges follow yesterday's damning verdict on the "deeply flawed" House of Commons allowance system by Sir Thomas Legg, who ordered around 390 MPs and former MPs to repay a total of 1.12 million.

The TaxPayers' Alliance, which has campaigned against abuse of expenses and had threatened to bring a private prosecution if the CPS failed to bring charges, hailed today's announcement as "excellent news".

The pressure group's chief executive, Matthew Elliott, said: "It is essential that MPs face justice, just like any normal person who had behaved like this.

"The tax-paying public wants to see justice done, and it is right that MPs aren't able to simply wave repayment cheques and walk away from this."

A Labour spokesman said Mr Morley, Mr Chaytor and Mr Devine had already been barred from standing as Labour candidates at the election.

"The Labour Party has zero tolerance for criminal behaviour and will take the strongest possible disciplinary action against any party member found guilty of breaking the law," he added.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: "The Conservative Party has led the way in dealing with the MPs expenses scandal. We were the first to publish the Right To Know form, the first to require the front bench to put their expenses online and the only party to have carried out a scrutiny of all our MPs expenses - leading to the paying back of over 250,000."

Justice Secretary Jack Straw said he would not comment on the "possible outcome or consequences" of today's announcement by the DPP.

But he said: "There is no doubt that the expenses scandal has of course been damaging to the reputation of individual MPs but also to the reputation of politics and Parliament.

"It's because of that that Gordon Brown, and I on his behalf, have established the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority.

"That will have complete control over the setting and administration and regulation of MPs' salaries and pensions, as well as expenses.

"Never again will we be in the position where we are setting our own allowances and, I'm afraid, not administering them properly either."

Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer announced today that four parliamentarians will be prosecuted over expenses claims.

Here are the full details of the charges faced by MPs Elliot Morley, David Chaytor, Jim Devine and Lord Hanningfield.

Elliot Morley

The former Agriculture Minister and Labour MP for Scunthorpe faces two counts under the Theft Act 1968 of dishonestly claiming expenses.

The first count alleges that between April 2004 and February 2006, Mr Morley dishonestly claimed mortgage expenses of 14,428 for a house in Winterton, Lincolnshire.

The second count alleges that between March 2006 and November 2007 Mr Morley dishonestly claimed mortgage expenses of 16,000 for the same property when there was no longer a mortgage on that property.

David Chaytor

The Bury North MP faces three charges under section 17 of the Theft Act 1968 for false accounting.

The first count alleges that in May 2006 Mr Chaytor dishonestly claimed 1,950 for computer services by using false invoices.

The second count alleges that between September 2005 and September 2006 Mr Chaytor dishonestly claimed 12,925 for renting a property in Regency Street, London, when he was in fact its owner.

The third charge alleges that between September 2007 and January 2008 Mr Chaytor dishonestly claimed 5,425, purportedly for renting a property in Bury, Lancashire, from his mother.

Jim Devine

The Livingston MP faces two charges under section 17 of the Theft Act 1968 for false accounting.

The first count alleges that between July 2008 and April 2009 Mr Devine dishonestly claimed 3,240 for cleaning services using false invoices.

The second count alleges that in March 2009 Mr Devine dishonestly claimed 5,505 for stationery using false invoices.

Lord Hanningfield

The Conservative Peer, who is also leader of Essex County Council, faces six charges under section 17 of the Theft Act 1968 for false accounting.

The charges allege that between March 2006 and May 2009, he dishonestly submitted claims for expenses to which he knew he was not entitled.

The allegations focus on numerous claims for overnight expenses for staying in London when records show he was driven home and did not stay in the capital.