Two scandal-hit MPs this afternoon announced they would be stepping down at the next general election over the expenses row.

Tory MP for Bromsgrove Julie Kirkbride and Luton South Labour MP Margaret Moran both succumbed to intense pressure.

Ms Kirkbride followed her husband, Andrew MacKay, in announcing her departure. The couple came under fire for claiming Commons allowances to simultaneously fund both the homes where they lived.

She also claimed taxpayers’ money to part-fund a £50,000 extension to one home so her brother could live there and used another £1,000 for publicity portraits.

She was also under pressure for employing her sister as a secretary – even though she lived more than 120 miles from her constituency. She tried to defend her actions but faced growing voter fury in Bromsgrove and stepped down after crisis talks with senior Tory figures just after 1pm.

In a resignation letter, she wrote: “My principal concern is for my loyal supporters in Bromsgrove whose trust in me has been very humbling. I also must take into account the effects on my family.”

Ms Moran had been condemned for claiming £22,500 to treat dry rot at a home in Southampton, 100 miles from her constituency and faced an election challenge from Esther Rantzen. “The public anger over MPs’ expenses has caused me great stress and worsened an existing health problem,” Ms Moran said in a statement, claiming she had done “nothing wrong”.