SENIOR Tories were last night ordered to repay thousands of pounds of expenses, after David Cameron said he was “appalled” at allegations of abuse.

The Conservative leader told all shadow cabinet members at the centre of controversial claims to refund the taxpayer – and threatened to expel any MP refusing to do so.

The move was clearly designed to steal a march on Gordon Brown, who has been accused of failing to act swiftly against Cabinet ministers accused of lavish spending and tax-dodging.

Among the top Tories affected are Tatton MP George Osborne, the Shadow Chancellor, who was criticised for claiming £440.62 for a chauffeur to take him from Cheshire to London, in 2005.

Mr Osborne had defended the payment on the grounds he had attended a constituency function late on a Friday evening and “had to be in London very early the next morning”.

And Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling, the “Shadow Minister for Liverpool”, will no longer claim for a second home in central London – because his constituency home is less than 17 miles away.

But it appeared Mr Grayling was not being ordered to repay any of the £68,000 he has claimed in second home allowances over the last four years.

Those claims were particularly embarrassing for Mr Cameron as Mr Grayling is the party’s “attack dog”, attacking a series of Labour ministers trapped in scandals.

Last night, Mr Osborne said he had already written the cheque to the Commons fees office to cover the £440 chauffeur’s bill, admitting the claim had “raised a question”.

He declined to say whether he had realised it was questionable when he submitted it, when it appeared in a newspaper – or when Mr Cameron told him to repay it.