GOVERNMENT Chief Whip and Minister for the North East Nick Brown tonight defended his Commons expenses amid reports that he is the set to be the next senior figure to come under the spotlight over his parliamentary allowances.

Mr Brown, MP for Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend, said his claims were "not unreasonable" and reflected real costs which he had incurred.

He issued his comments in anticipation that his claims will be featured in The Daily Telegraph, which has obtained the details of all MPs' expenses.

The Daily Telegraph report is set to raise questions about allowances of £87,708 which he claimed on his second home in Newcastle between 2004 and 2008 - including £18,800 for food.

Mr Brown acknowledged that he claimed the full amount allowable in subsistence costs, but insisted that it was justified in the context of his working life.

"I am working flat out for the people that I represent and the politics that I believe in.

"My regular pattern for work is to travel to the constituency Thursday nights, spend Friday on constituency business or in my role as minister for the region.

"I meet constituents and attend constituency events on Saturday. I travel back to London (usually by train) on Sunday and am at work Monday morning right the way through until the House rises.

"Given the context I do not think this is unreasonable, it reflects the real costs incurred."

The Daily Telegraph was also said to be highlighting regular £200 monthly bills he submitted for repairs and maintenance, plus £250 a month for cleaning, without any receipts.

Mr Brown, the MP for Newcastle East and Wallsend, said that the claims on his Newcastle home represented a contribution towards his costs.

"It doesn't represent the full cost that I bear myself. When the system moved from unreceipted to receipted expenditure, I submitted receipts for everything for which I claimed," he said.

"I am also now absorbing more of the cost myself. I think it reasonable to do so because I have a higher salary as a minister."