GORDON Brown tonight insisted extreme action was needed to restore public trust in politicians as one of his Cabinet ministers agreed to hand over more than £13,000.

The Prime Minister said an independent review of every claim made over the past four years would allow MPs to show they are worthy of public trust.

"There will also be interim restrictions on what can be claimed," he added.

"This is a radical step but it's a necessary step," Mr Brown said.

In a series of broadcast interviews in Downing Street, the premier said he had talked to Communities Secretary Hazel Blears before she announced she would now be paying £13,332 in capital gains tax from the sale of a taxpayer-funded property.

Mr Brown said: "In fact, Hazel did not break the rules, but she accepts that it was the right thing to do that she did not have a personal gain from the sale of that (flat).

"I think the issue here with Hazel Blears is about the sale of a house where CGT could or could not have been paid," Mr Brown said.

"She has looked at what has happened, I have talked to her, she has repaid the money.

He went on: "As I understand it, Hazel Blears is in a different position from other members of the Cabinet, but if there is any doubt about that then it will have to be resolved."

Mr Brown said Ms Blears was not the only member of his party who was planning to hand over money in the wake of concerns.

"Some Labour MPs have already announced that they are repaying things that in retrospect they should not have received," he said.

Mr Brown said other ministers who had come in for criticism over their accommodation arrangements, including Chancellor Alistair Darling and Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon, were in a different position.

But he stressed they could still face disciplinary action if the independent review found there were problems.

"What we have got to do is restore public trust, to restore peoples faith that politicians are worthy of their trust," Mr Brown added.