British Culture Secretary Maria Miller resigns after questions raised about expense account

LONDON – British Culture Secretary Maria Miller, who was in charge of legislation on press regulation and gay marriage, has resigned following a row over her parliamentary expense account.

Prime Minister David Cameron, who had publicly backed Miller, accepted her decision Wednesday.

She said in a letter to Cameron that the controversy over her housing expenses had become a "distraction" from the government's work.

Miller has apologized to constituents and to Parliament after questions were raised about her expense claims. She has repaid 5,800 pounds ($9,700), a figure which had been reduced by a parliamentary panel from an initial recommendation of 45,000 pounds.

Parliament has been hit by a series of expense account scandals in recent years, leading to calls for further reform of the reimbursement system.