Diane Abbott does not claim for a second home, but is paid a supplement for living in the capital. “All my fixtures and fittings are paid for out of my basic salary”

Gerry Adams and four other Sinn Fein MPs claimed more than £500,000 over five years even though they refuse to attend Parliament

Adam Afriyie has not made any claims on his second home allowance

Nick Ainger tried to claim £3,371 for furniture – including £768 for a Man Ray styling chair and £1,434 for a sofabed – but was paid £3,075

Bob Ainsworth claimed nearly £6,000 for the redecoration of his designated second home

Peter Ainsworth tried to charge nearly £1,000 for a “pewter finish” radiator cover on his expenses and was warned by the fees office that it could be excessive

Danny Alexander claimed £2,000 for work on kitchen and £2,000 for sofa and chairs. Also received £1,140 for the cost of alcoves, shelving and a desk for flat

Douglas Alexander spent more than £30,000 doing up his constituency home – which then suffered damage in a house fire. Claimed the cost of hiring a “media trainer” on his office expenses. Spent taxpayers’ money on advertising at football and rugby league matches.

Graham Allen claimed £495 for service charge on London flat and the maximum £400 for food on most occasions. Food claims reduced when he twice tried to claim over £500 a month

David Amess’s mortgage interest claims on London flat did not waver from £600. Claimed the maximum food allowance of £400 a month. In July 2004, £600 claim was cut by £200

Michael Ancram put the cost of having his swimming pool boiler serviced on his parliamentary allowances. He has agreed to repay the money and written to supporters to apologise

David Anderson: By April 2006, his mortgage interest costs were £1,203. Claimed for furniture, washing machine and microwave. Claimed between £200 and £400 a month in food

James Arbuthnot claimed from the public finances for cleaning his swimming pool at a country residence. He has agreed to repay the money

Hilary Armstrong was told that allowing the Labour Party to pay for and run a computer at her taxpayer-funded home could make her “politically vulnerable”

Charlotte Atkins claimed more than £35,000 in renovations on her second home allowance including £20,000 for windows, £4,000 for the chimney, £9,000 for the bathroom and nearly £2,000 for the garden

Ian Austin split a claim for stamp duty on buying his second home in London into two payments and tried to claim it back over two financial years.

John Austin claimed more than £10,000 for redecorating his London flat, which was 11 miles from his main home, before selling it for a profit.

Richard Bacon designated second home in London, where he claimed £1,235 in monthly mortgage interest between 2004 and 2007. Claimed for £2,500 to repaint and redecorate flat in spring of 2006.

Vera Baird claimed the cost of Christmas tree decorations

Ed Balls and wife Yvette Cooper “flipped” the designation of their second home to three different properties within two years. Mr Balls, the Schools Secretary, also attempted to claim £33 for poppy wreaths

Norman Baker asked if he could claim for a bicycle and a computer so he could listen to music and email family and friends

Greg Barker made a £320,000 profit selling a flat the taxpayer had helped pay for. He has agreed to repay £10,000.

Celia Barlow used her second home allowance to spend more than £28,000 on stamp duty, legal costs and renovations despite telling the fees office that the property would become her main home

John Barrett claimed on ACA for designated second home in Dolphin Square and submitted £1,138 a month claim for rent. He also charged regular, but £8 monthly bills for his TV

Kevin Barron claimed London flat in 2004-05 as his second home with a monthly mortgage interest of £1,509, which rose to £1,791 in 2005-06. It increased in 2007-08 to more than £2,000

John Battle having asked the fees office about his food allowance, he went on to claim the maximum £400 a month.Claimed £499 dark brown sofa and a £599 recliner

Hugh Bayley decided flat in London rather than York should be second home and claimed £1,177 monthly mortgage interest. Later, he claimed York as second home

Margaret Beckett made a £600 claim for hanging baskets and pot plants

Anne Begg spent £1,403 on living room furniture in her London flat and £500 on Devonshire carpets for two bedrooms. Claimed £85,245 over four years

Alan Beith claimed £117,000 in second home allowances while his wife, Baroness Maddock, claimed £60,000 in House of Lords expenses for staying at the same address

Sir Stuart Bell claimed £750 for food in December 2005, reduced to the maximum monthly amount of £400. Designated his second home as a flat in London and claimed £1,400 a month rent

Henry Bellingham claimed £1,500 mortgage interest per month for a flat in London. Mr Bellingham claimed a total of £85,845 in four years under the addional costs allowance

Hilary Benn claimed only £42,113 on his second homes allowance in four years. Faces questions over party funding after it emerged he paid rent to the Labour Party from expenses. Claimed for party political propaganda

Joe Benton designated his second home as a flat he owns in London. In 2005 he claimed £400 a month for food during the summer recess and in 2008 spent £1,500 on repairs to his second home

Richard Benyon did not claim on his second homes allowance in 2007/08

John Bercow “flipped” his second home from his constituency to a £540,000 flat in London and claimed the maximum possible allowances for it. Bercow, a candidate for next Speaker, “repaid” £6,500 capital gains tax on the sale of two properties

Sir Paul Beresford, who works up to three days a week as a dentist, designated his west London property, which includes his surgery, as his second home on his parliamentary allowances

Roger Berry’s costs incurred at his designated second home in London included £696 on Sony 26-inch LCD TV, £250 on DVD player, £1067.49 on washer dryer, £574.28 on dishwasher

Clive Betts claimed £1,268 for carpets and £570 sofa bed; £689.99 for television; £1,433.50 on decoration; £1,220 on furniture; £1,135.20 on a bed

Brian Binley was elected in 2005 and initially stayed at a gentleman’s club when in London at a cost of £84 a night. He later began renting a property in London for £1,500 a month

Liz Blackman went on last-minute shopping sprees before the end of each financial year, in an apparent attempt to make sure she claimed as close to maximum expenses as possible

Roberta Blackman-Woods claimed £9,425.19 in stamp duty and other costs associated with buying a London flat. Later claimed £1,364.29 per month in mortgage interest payments

Tony Blair re-mortgaged his constituency home and claimed almost a third of the interest around the time he was buying another property in London

Hazel Blears did not pay capital gains tax on a property she sold despite having told the Commons authorities it was her second home. She has since agreed to paid the tax but denied any wrongdoing. Claimed the costs of accountancy advice using expenses intended to fund their parliamentary and constituency offices. Bought expensive gadgets. Claimed for party political propaganda

Bob Blizzard claims £1,278.25 monthly mortgage interest payments on a second home in London. Mr Blizzard has made few other claims. Those included £363 for a washing machine

David Blunkett designates his second home as a rented property in Derbyshire. He pays £600 per month in rent. He claimed £1,600 for half the cost of relaying a path there

Crispin Blunt told to stop claiming Commons allowance on his home because his children live there

Peter Bone claims £1,300 a month rent on a flat in London, along with £400 a month food. His other claims included £299.99 on a television, £87.98 on a DVD player and £599.98 on two sofas

David Borrow claims £1,300 per month in mortgage interest payments on a London flat which is designated as his second home, plus utilities and council tax

Tim Boswell claimed only £22,230 on his second homes allowance between 2004 and 2008

Peter Bottomley claimed £6,000 for replacement windows and £980 for bookshelves in 2004. He was warned by the fees office that the claim for bookshelves could be seen as excessive

Ben Bradshaw used his allowance to pay the mortgage interest on a flat he owned jointly with his boyfriend

Graham Brady’s claims included £1,600 on a table and chairs and £1,364.80 on a wardrobe. The two claims together were cut to £1,740. He tried and failed to claim £144.80 for congestion charge

Tom Brake did not claim on his second home allowance between 2004-8

Julian Brazier stays at hotels when staying in London. His usual nightly bill for accommodation is £67.50. His highest bill was £188

Colin Breed claimed £3,650 for redecorating and £1,806 for carpets at his designated second home in London

Kevin Brennan had a £450 television delivered to his family home in Cardiff even though he reclaimed the money back on his London second home allowance

Annette Brooke pays £1,124 a month rent for a flat in London and makes few other claims. One was £149.95 for a vacuum cleaner

James Brokenshire claimed just £368 on his second homes allowance in 2007/8 and nothing in the preceding three years

Gordon Brown’s house swap let the PM claim thousands

Lyn Brown designated her second home as a flat within walking distance of Parliament which she shares with two other MPs

Nick Brown claimed £18,800, without receipts, in expenses for food over four years amid total expenses of £87,000

Russell Brown reclaimed the maximum allowed under the Commons expenses system for his bathroom to be refurbished at his rented designated second home in London. Claimed for his rented second home in London included £1,368.88 on carpets and floor covering, £898 on two armchairs and £4,500 for a replacement bathroom

Des Browne claimed £5,822 for furnishings and carpets at his second home in London

Jeremy Browne claimed £5,088 for roof repairs, £3,975 for replacement windows, £972 on a sofa and rugs and £650 on blinds

Angela Browning’s £10,000 for a website over-the-odds according to experts, but it was the taxpayer who settled the bill

Malcolm Bruce was able to claim thousands of pounds towards the running of both his London flat and his constituency home.

Chris Bryant changed second home twice in two years to claim £20,000

Karen Buck is an inner London MP, so ineligible for the second home allowance. Has claimed the maximum “London supplement” for the past eight years

Richard Burden tried to claim £337 for towels and bedding that he had claimed for six months earlier in September 2006. When the error was pointed out, he replied in an email “Ooops!”

Colin Burgon claimed for the £1,300-£1,800 monthly rent on his Westminster flat, for general household costs and for occasional food bills

Andy Burnham had an eight-month battle with the fees office after making a single expenses claim for more than £16,500. The Culture Secretary also avoided paying tax on a £16,600 property windfall. Claimed for party political propaganda

Simon Burns claimed £1,000 to rent a flat in west London, despite having an Essex constituency 35 minutes away from central London by train. Claimed £865 for a new bed and mattress

David Burrowes did not claim for the second home allowance at all

Paul Burstow doesn’t claim for a second home although he is entitled to

Alistair Burt claimed £1,000 too much in expenses for his rent, but was allowed to keep the money.

Lorely Burt claimed £12,500 in stamp duty and fees when buying a flat in Westminster with her husband two months after being elected in 2005. Then claimed £1,110 for blinds and £746 for wardrobes

Dawn Butler, the Labour whip, over-claimed £2,600 in rent on her constituency home

John Butterfill paid no capital gains tax after making a £600,000 gain on the sale of his taxpayer-funded house which he told the parliamentary authorities was his designated second home

Stephen Byers claimed more than £125,000 for repairs and maintenance at a London flat owned outright by his partner, where he lives rent-free

Liam Byrne claimed between £1,300 and £2,300 a month rent for various London flats, along with monthly grocery bills and other charges

Vince Cable forgoes the second home allowance, but asked whether he could claim backdated payments of the London supplement instead

Richard Caborn claimed £1,000+ a month rent for flat in Barbican, with £200 a month for food and other bills. Claimed £240 for appliances or bills when claims under £250 didn’t need receipt

David Cairns claimed the £1,300-£1,400 a month interest on the mortgage of the north London flat that he shares with his civil partner. Also claimed for food, cleaning, council tax and other bills

David Cameron limited his claims to mortgage interest payments and utility bills. He will repay the only maintenance bill he claimed – £600 for the removal of wisteria. He also paid off a loan on his London house after he took out a taxpayer-funded £350,000 mortgage on his designated second home

Alan Campbell claimed the £700-£850 interest on the mortgage of London flat, along with regular service charges. In 2006, claimed £1,572 for redecoration of the flat

Anne Campbell sold her designated second home in London to her son after she lost her seat in Parliament

Gregory Campbell claimed £11,500 in hotel bills between 2005 and 2006, before moving into a flat in London. Claimed £4,675 for furniture and appliances, including TVs and DVD player

Menzies Campbell hired a top interior designer to refurbish his small flat in central London at taxpayers’ expense. He will repay the £1,490.66 cost of an interior designer

Ronnie Campbell claimed a total of £87,729 for his London flat. He has agreed to repay £6,000 for furniture he bought for it.

Alistair Carmichael, the MP with the constituency furthest from London, is allowed to claim for two second homes, one in London and the other in Shetland. Claimed £2,000 in stamp duty

Douglas Carswell claimed £655 from his expenses for a love seat

Bill Cash claimed more than £15,000 in taxpayer-funded expenses to pay his daughter rent for her west London flat – even though he owned a home closer to Westminster. He has promised to repay the money and said he hopes to remain an MP

Martin Caton claimed £460 a month in interest on the mortgage of his west London flat, along with £350 a month in food and other bills. £3,216 for new bathroom equipment and £6,400 for a new kitchen

Ben Chapman deliberately over-claimed for interest on the mortgage of his London house by about £15,000 with the approval of the fees office, documents seen by the Telegraph suggest. He will stand down as an MP at the next election

Colin Challen sold his London flat to his senior researcher but carried on renting it for a nightly fee

David Chaytor admits claiming almost £13,000 in interest payments for a mortgage that he had already repaid. He was suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party and has now decided to stand down at the next election

Christoper Chope transported a sofa from his second home in London to a tradesman near his main residence in his constituency of Christchurch, Dorset, to be repaired at a cost of £881

Michael Clapham, a Labour backbencher, submitted a receipt for the pair of glasses bought for his wife

James Clappison owns 24 houses but billed more than £100,000, including thousands for gardening and redecoration

Greg Clark used almost his entire allowance to claim the interest on the mortgage of his south-west London flat. Claimed for nothing else

Katy Clark claimed £1,300 rent at London flat, while also claiming for £300 a month in food and other bills. Occasional hotel bills after being stranded off the mainland on business

Paul Clark claimed the £1,200 a month rent for his flat in London. Also claimed for food and gardening. Flipped his expenses after claiming the £900 a month mortgage interest for his house in Kent

Charles Clarke, the former Home Secretary, claimed £500 monthly mortgage interest for London home in 2004-05. Moved to another house in London at the end of 2005.

Made regular maximum monthly £400 claims for food between 2004 and 2008.

Kenneth Clarke managed to avoid paying the full rate of council tax on either of his two homes by effectively claiming that neither is his main residence. He has agreed to pay the full rate in future but defended his past behaviour. He last year claimed for purchasing Windows XP for Dummies.

Tom Clarke designated the Sloane Club in Chelsea as second home, and claimed about £1,500 a month while in London. Claimed £400 a month for food

Nick Clegg claimed the maximum allowed under his parliamentary second home allowance

David Clelland claimed for the cost of “buying out” his partner’s £45,000 stake in his London flat

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown “flipped” his second home designation from London to his Gloucestershire home, before buying a £2,750,000 house

Ann Clwyd claimed £400 a month for food, £200 a month for cleaning, utilities bills and council tax. In 2007, claimed £2,300 for carpets, tables and a chair

Vernon Coaker claimed £260 a month for interest on the mortgage of his flat in London, along with £400 a month for food and other bills

Anne Coffey claimed £1,000 a month in interest on the mortgage of her London house, along with £250-£300 a month in food. Claimed £1,052 in furniture and bedding and £40 a month for a TV package in 2005

Harry Cohen claimed thousands of pounds for redecorating his second home before selling it and charging taxpayers £12,000 in stamp duty and fees on a new property

Michael Connarty sold some of the contents of his London home to Jim Devine, a close colleague, before charging the taxpayer thousands of pounds for goods delivered to addresses in Scotland.

Derek Conway, whose payments to his two sons first highlighted the abuse of the MPs expenses system, claimed for office 270 miles from constituency

Frank Cook claimed back the cost of giving £5 to a church collection at a Battle of Britain memorial service. He also submitted £211 worth of receipts for bedding, £2,137 for storage and £750 for bedroom furniture. His rental cost rose to £1,656 in October 2006

Rosie Cooper claimed £915 for solicitors’ fees and survey costs on a property she did not buy

Yvette Cooper and husband Ed Balls “flipped” the designation of their second home to three different properties within two years. Cooper bought expensive gadgets and claimed for party political propaganda

Jim Cousins claimed for second home in London with a mortgage payment of £54.08 in 2004. Made regular maximum monthly claims of £400 for food. Claimed £1,000 for the removal of ivy from building and garden. Claim for £30 parking permit rejected.

Jeremy Corbyn does not claim for a second home as a London MP, but is paid a supplement of £2,812 for living in the capital

Sir Patrick Cormack claimed more than £1,000 a month in rent for his second home in London. Other claims included £329 on a TV £200 on a radio and £349.97 on replacement reading lamps

Geoffrey Cox QC made monthly mortgage interest payments of £1,750 in 2005-06 and 2006-07. This was his only regular claim

Stephen Crabb claimed his “main home” was a room in another MP’s flat, after buying a new house for his family at taxpayers’ expense

David Crausby was allowed to borrow an additional £25,000 on his mortgage to refurbish his kitchen and bathroom last year. This boosted his mortgage interest claim by £400 a month

Mary Creagh appointed north London flat as second home, then switched to new home in Wakefield. Claimed £9,000 for stamp duty and £1,184 for solicitors fees. Claimed £4,480 for new roof

Jon Cruddas changed one address to another in 2004-05 for designated second home. Claimed £2,083 in kitchen equipment. Monthly mortgage interest increased from £607 in 2004 to £1,712 in 2008

Anne Cryer and son John, who were both MPs, designated the same flat as their second home. Mrs Cryer also bought London home in 2005, where the monthly mortgage interest rose from £600 to £900 in three years. Claimed £550 for rug and £2,972 for furnishings from Peter Jones including £699 Sony TV

John Cummings claimed monthly mortgage interest on London home of £630 in 2004-06. Submitted £2,036 bill for replacing condemned gas fire, £3,220 for new kitchen and £1,344 for renovating stairs and hall

Jim Cunningham shunned the opportunity to buy furniture and his expenses were in the bottom 40 of any MP

Tony Cunningham charged monthly mortgage interest on London home of £665 in 2005-06. Had to pay back £399.50 to the fees office after he wrongly claimed for accountant on his expenses

David Curry moved designated second home from London flat, where he spent £785 on furniture and £1,300 a month on rent, to constituency cottage he has owned since 1987. Also tried to claim for hotel in Yorkshire, blaming “blizzards across Pennines”.

Claire Curtis-Thomas claimed £9,000 for fire escape in second home in her constituency which doubles as an office and was paid £4,000. Submitted £12,000 of receipts for kitchen, and hall. Tried to claim £20 for bank charges when overdrawn

Tam Dalyell attempted to claim £18,000 for bookcases two months before he retired as an MP

Alistair Darling billed us for two homes at the same time by claiming parliamentary expenses for a flat that he let to tenants while also claiming living allowances for his grace and favour home in Downing Street. It had previously emerged that Mr Darling’s stamp duty was paid by the public. Claimed the costs of accountancy advice using expenses intended to fund their parliamentary and constituency offices and claimed four different properties as his second home in as many years

Ed Davey did not claim on his second home allowance between 2004-8

Wayne David claimed for a second property in London. Claimed £225 for crockery, £210 for rugs and mats and £630 for three chests of drawers. Regular monthly mortgage interest payments of £1,285 in 2008

Ian Davidson paid £5,500 to a family friend to renovate his flat and then took him shooting with members of the House of Lords

Dai Davies claimed £328 in office rates and the cost of keys and telephone for his constituency on his second home allowance instead of his office expenses.Claimed £245 for an “abortive” house search

David Davies claimed £475 for a Laura Ashley cabinet and £120 to get his carpets steam cleaned in October 2007. Total claims over three years equalled £66,755

Geraint Davies spent £4000 of public money on renovating his designated second home in the months before he lost his seat at the 2005 general election

Philip Davies claimed more than £2,000 for hotels in May 2005 before buying home in London. Was overpaid at the end of the year by the fees office, had to reimburse £303

Quentin Davies repaired window frames at his18th-century mansion, charging £10,000 to expenses

David Davis spent more than £10,000 of taxpayers’ money on home improvements in four years, including a new £5,700 portico at his home in Yorkshire

Janet Dean claimed £60 to dispose of old furniture from second home in London. Paid £1,000 in rent in 2004-05 and £1,200 in 2006. Few other bills apart from TV licence, water and telephone. Claimed £145 Dyson vacuum cleaner in February 2008

John Denham claimed regular monthly mortgage interest of £1,284 in 2006. Claimed £2,792 to damp proof bathroom wall in 2007

Jim Devine bought Michael Connarty’s furniture on expenses

Parmjit Dhanda had the fees office cut monthly mortgage claim from £750 to £690 in first three months of 2005 to make sure only the mortgage interest was paid. Claimed £499 sideboard from Next, £2,878 in furniture and £199 for two headboards

Andrew Dismore claims £90 a month in council tax and £835 a year in service charge on constituency flat 11.4 miles from Westminster, but does not claim mortgage payments or rent. Spent £275 on an Afghan rug bought in Bethnal Green

Jonathan Djanogly , the millionaire shadow business minister, claimed £5,000 to have electric gates installed at his Huntington home

Jim Dobbin’s second home is a flat in London, where he charged taxpayers £380.42 for decking in 2004-05. Spent £474 on bed in 2007, and £100 on a mattress cover in 2008

Frank Dobson has an inner London seat so cannot claim for a second home. However, he does receive the London supplement, taking home £2,812 in 2007-8

Nigel Dodds designated second home is house in Kennington, south London, where he currently claims £1,540 a month in mortgage interest payments. Other claims mainly relate to furnishings, including £296 for picture framing and £974.95 over two years on seven tables.

Pat Doherty and four other Sinn Fein MPs claimed more than £500,000 over five years even though the Sinn Fein MPs refuse to attend Parliament

Jeffrey Donaldson shares a flat in Greenwich with fellow MP, and claimed £6,150 in stamp duty, with £1,406 in solicitors’ fees. £410 claim for curtains bought in Northern Ireland queried. “Objective was to save the taxpayer some money,” he replies

Brian Donohoe was allowed to claim over the odds on a three-piece suite for his second home because the Commons authorities did not want to “antagonise” him or appear “petty”.

Frank Doran names a farmhouse north of Aberdeen as second home and claims around £500 a month in mortgage interest payments. Claims £1,200 for work on his trees

Stephen Dorrell has a second home – a flat near Westminster where he claims £1,082 a month mortgage interest. Attempt to claim £758 for hotels while “flat being refurbished” refused

Nadine Dorries , who claimed the expenses expose was a “McCarthy ite witch hunt”, disowned by David Cameron

Jim Dowd is ineligible to claim for a second home as he represents a constituency in inner London. However, he does receive the London supplement, totalling £2,812 in 2007-08

David Drew used to own a home in London but decided to forgo it in favour of staying in hotels while in the capital

James Duddridge claimed £1,988 on roofing and railing repairs, plus £6,619 for floor and redecorating in his Westminster designated second home. Rented it out and bought new flat

Alan Duncan spent thousands from his allowance on gardening, including repairs to his lawnmower. He has agreed to repay £5,000. He also claimed £19.55 in office expenses for biscuits, tea, coffee and mints.

Ian Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, claimed no second home expesnes in the last year, commuting from his outer London constituency

Philip Dunne has not made any claims on his second home allowance since 2005/06

Mark Durkan claims £1,495 a month in rent on a flat in Vauxhall. In July 2005, before moved in, had a £352 hotel bill which stated “room for two” queried. But told fees office “he had sole occupancy of double room”

Angela Eagle claimed just £155 a month mortgage interest on her second home for a period and even underclaimed for council tax

Maria Eagle claimed thousands of pounds on refurbishing a bathroom at one of her flats just months before switching her designated second home to a property with a higher mortgage

Clive Efford could claim the second home allowance as he is an outer London MP, but instead chooses to receive the lower London supplement, receiving £2,812 in 2007-08

Louise Ellman claims £838 a month in mortgage interest, plus £2,300 annual service charges on flat in Westminster. Also claimed £594 for six “leather effect” dining chairs from John Lewis

Tobias Ellwood has £3,880 claim for loft conversion on flat in Battersea rejected. Changes second home to Bournemouth where he claims £2,134 a month mortgage interest

Natascha Engel went on a shopping spree within months of being elected, spending thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ cash. She charged the taxpayer for copies of a DVD of her maiden speech to Parliament and a copy of a novel by an acclaimed German writer

Jeff Ennis claims under £300 a month in mortgage interest on flat near Elephant and Castle. Claims £85 plumbing, saying: “My bath has been condemned”

Bill Etherington last year claimed £2,600 for blinds, £775 for central heating and £305 to repair his roof following a problem with rodents. In 2004, claimed £5,250 for doors and windows

Nigel Evans claims up to £1,750 a month mortgage interest on his London flat, and very little else. Occasionally claims £1,500 service charges and for television and council tax

David Evennett is an outer London MP who chose to take the smaller “London supplement”. Has claimed the maximum amount for past two years

Michael Fabricant claims £700-£900 a month mortgage interest on Westminster flat. Splits maximum allowance between food and bills. Regularly claimed £240 in repairs when receipts only needed at £250

Paul Farrelly claims £1,330 mortgage interest on house in north London and regular maximum £400 monthly claim for food. Also claims £130-£200 a month for cleaning, and for parking permits

Tim Farron claims £1,400 a month rent for flat near Westminster, plus utilities and council tax bills. In 2005, claimed £2,000 for furniture and appliances, and £300 for a Dyson vacuum

Lynne Featherstone did not claim on her second homes allowance in between 2004 and 2008

Frank Field claimed just £44,338 on his second home allowance between 2004 and 2008

Mark Field: as the MP for Westminster itself, is only entitled to the “London supplement”. Claimed the maximum available in this for the past eight years

Mark Fisher claimed only £200 a month in interest on the mortgage of a London flat, before buying another in 2007 and claiming the £1,500 a month interest on the mortgage there

Jim Fitzpatrick: as an MP in the capital, claims the “London supplement” rather than the additional costs allowance for second homes. Has claimed the maximum for past eight years

Caroline Flint claimed £14,000 for fees for new flat

Robert Flello takes over rent of London flat from predecessor as MP, George Stevenson, and pays him £750 for some contents after being elected in 2005, . Moves from here to other rented properties and hotels

Paul Flynn claimed £7,052 for new kitchen, £1,153 carpets and £1,200 decoration for his London property in 2005, before selling it and moving to a new £275,000 flat. Claims £9,629 in stamp duty and fees

Barbara Follett used £25,000 of taxpayers’ money to pay for private security patrols at her home

Don Foster claims £800 a month mortgage interest on south-west London flat. In 2005, claimed £3,450 for refurbishing his bathroom. In 2006, claimed £1,000 for bed and mattress

Michael J Foster claims £630 a month interest on the mortgage of his south-east London flat, along with £250 a month for food, annual council tax bills, service charges and utilities bills

Michael Foster claimed £700 a month in mortgage interest on London flat before moving to a more expensive property in 2005. Claimed more than £13,000 in stamp duty and legal fees

Liam Fox claims £1,200-£1,450 for the mortgage interest at his south London flat. Also claims for occasional maintenance charges and ground rent

Hywel Francis designated his second home in London. Claims have included £3,000 contribution towards stamp duty and £549 for a chair. He also claimed £325 for a bookcase

Mark Francois claimed for a wide variety of on-the-go snacks through his expenses

Christopher Fraser claimed more than £1,800 to buy 215 trees and fencing to mark out the boundary of his house.

Roger Gale claimed £624.98 for a television and stand and £250.30 for a TV aerial. Also claimed £1,700 for redecoration, plumbing and electrical works at his second home in London

George Galloway rented a flat in Glasgow as second home when an MP there. As an inner London MP from 2005 does not claim for additional costs allowance

Mike Gapes claimed £1,600 per month to rent a second home in London. His few other claims include £30.98 for photograph frames and £17.97 for a tea caddy

Edward Garnier QC claims for rent on constituency home, also claimed £211 for lawn mowing and £1,920 for a year’s gardening. Claimed for heating oil on office expenses, as he has home office

David Gauke claimed £10,248.32 in stamp duty and fees involved in the purchase of his second home in London

Andrew George used parliamentary expenses for a London flat used by his student daughter. He also claimed hundreds of pounds for hotel stays with his wife. He has said he will repay £20 for a hotel breakfast

Bruce George claimed £3,136 for central heating and pipework, and £760 on carpets at his second home in London. Also claimed £3,738. 85 for decorating

Neil Gerrard made no claims against the second home allowance

Nick Gibb spent £8,227 on redecoration and repairs at house in constituency, as well as £296 on hedge trimming in one month, before moving to a cottage nearby. Claimed almost £2,000 in fees associated with the purchase and now claims £1,800 a month in mortgage interest payments.

Ian Gibson claimed almost £80,000 in four years for mortgage interest and bills on a London flat which was the main home of his daughter

Sandra Gidley claimed more than £1,500 a month for renting a flat in London as her second home and has made few other claims

Michelle Gildernew and four other Sinn Fein MPs claimed more than £500,000 over five years even though the Sinn Fein MPs refuse to attend Parliament

Cheryl Gillan bought dog food using her allowance but agreed to pay it back after being contacted by the Telegraph

Linda Gilroy said that she was paying back £1,891. Her designated second home is a flat in Dolphin Square, London, where she claims £1,450 a month in rent. Claims £15 most months for cleaning and utilities. In 2005-6 had to repay £468 after being allowed to spend too much.

Roger Godsiff claimed for bath mats, gardening equipment and more than £7,000 of property repairs on his office expenses. He also claimed more than £2,300 per month in mortgage interest payments on his second home in London but does not claim for any other items

Paul Goggins, the Northern Ireland Minister, claimed almost £45,000 for a “second home”, while a friend lived there rent-free

Julia Goldsworthy spent thousands of pounds on expensive furniture just days before the deadline for using up parliamentary allowances. She has promised to pay back £1,005 for a leather rocking chair

Helen Goodman claimed for a week’s stay in a cottage in her constituency over a bank holiday

Paul Goodman claimed modest mortgage interest payments on a second home in High Wycombe. Underclaimed by £1,384 in 2006 and was reimbursed by fees office

Robert Goodwill claimed £9,731.76 stamp duty and legal costs for buying his second home in London. Other claims included £695 on a sofa bed

Michael Gove spent thousands on his London home before “flipping” his Commons allowance to another address. He has agreed to repay £7,000. He also claimed for office expenses including a mug from the Tate Modern

Chris Grayling claimed for a London flat even though his constituency home is only 17 miles from the House of Commons. He has agreed to stop doing so

James Gray successfully claimed £2,000 for the future redecoration of his “second home” on the day that he moved out

Damian Green’s constituency is a 45-minute commute from Westminster but claimed for a designated second home in Acton, west London, from which it takes at least 40 minutes to get to the Commons. Regularly claimed up to the maximum of £400 for food. Also charged for mortgage interest, council tax and phone.

Justine Greening made no claims under the second homes allowance. Claimed the London Supplement which amounted to £2,812 in 2007/08

John Greenway spent £500 of taxpayers’ money on pot plants and bushes for his garden at his south London home before selling up for a £280,000 profit

Dominic Grieve claimed monthly mortgage interest of £1,535 on a second home near Marlow in Bucks. Claimed four months gardening costs at £70.50 a month at the end of 2007 and start of 2008

Nia Griffith bought flat near Westminster soon after being elected, and claimed £9,533 in fees and stamp duty. Claimed £2,270 for “complete redecoration” and £2,997 in furnishings. Claims current mortgage interest of £904 a month

Nigel Griffiths tried to defend his £3,600 claim for electronic equipment in his second home in London by insisting he had to listen to “Scottish radio” and watch “Scottish TV”.

John Grogan designates a flat in Bayswater, west London, as second home and claims £1,560 a month in rent. Also claimed £1,840 on food in 2007-08 and £495 on cleaning services but does not claim for furniture or goods

John Gummer’s gardening, including the removal of moles from his lawn, cost the taxpayer £9,000

Andrew Gwynne made monthly mortgage interest payments of £779 in 2006 and 2007, which rose to £1,248 in 2008. Submitted receipt for £27.97 clock radio from Tesco

William Hague claimed mortgage interest payments of up to £1,200 per month on second home in London. Made few other claims apart from council tax

Peter Hain asked if he could claim on two mortgages for homes in his constituency

Mike Hall claimed thousands of pounds in expenses for the cost of cleaners, cleaning products and laundry bills for his London home

Patrick Hall’s second home costs were a modest half of the total allowance

David Hamilton claimed £1,710 for decorating at second home in London. Other claims included £199 for lighting, £165 for mirrors, £200 for bedding and £180 on kitchen utensils

Fabian Hamilton declared his mother’s London house as his main residence while over-charging the taxpayer by thousands of pounds for a mortgage on his family home in Leeds

Philip Hammond claimed mortage interest on his second home in London, which was sometimes more than £2,000 per month, but did not claim anything else

Stephen Hammond made no claims under the second homes allowance. Claimed the London Supplement which amounted to £2,812 in 2007/08

Mike Hancock was ranked 548 out of 645 MPs, claiming only £10, 859 of his scond home allowance in 2007-08

Greg Hands represents an inner London constituency so cannot claim the second home allowance. However, he does receive the London supplement, totalling £2,812 in 2007-08

David Hanson: fees office refused £429 for wife’s name to be added to mortgage in November 2006. Submitted £15 receipt for potpourri candles

Harriet Harman hired Scarlett MccGwire for “consultancy” services on the public purse. Claimed for party political propaganda and bought expensive gadgets.

Mark Harper charged for London hotel on his second home allowance before buying London flat in 2006 with monthly mortgage interest of £1,146. Claimed £5.14 for a fungus spray

Dr Evan Harris spent thousands doing up and adding value to his taxpayer-funded second home before selling it to his parents.

Tom Harris became embroiled in a row with the Commons fees office when his claims for a baby cot and bottle steriliser were rejected.

Nick Harvey had to be reminded twice by parliamentary officials to submit receipts with his expenses claims

Alan Haselhurst charged the taxpayer almost £12,000 for gardening bills at his farmhouse in Essex, his expenses claims show.

Dai Havard put through £1,165 of Argos receipts showing address in Wales, but told fees office goods went to London and that he had “asked” for this so he would remember to take invoices to constituency office

John Hayes charged for overnight stays in the Carlton Club then bought a flat near Westminster in 2004, also charging £305 for removals and storage. Now claims around £1,900 a month in mortgage interest

Sylvia Heal tried to claim her £882 accountancy bill in 2006-07 but was refused. Now claims less than £20 a month on her mortgage interest payments on her constituency home

John Healey designates flat in Lambeth as his second home. Has claimed £1,172 for a new front door. Has spent £6,194 renovating his kitchen

Oliver Heald’s second home is a flat in south London. Has spent £5,258 on refurbishing his bathroom as well as £2,891 on new windows. Bought three lavatory brushes in as many years

David Heath rents a flat near the Barbican in London, which he declares as his second home. Claimed £1,785 a month in rent in 2007-08, along with £1,170 in council tax and £550 on utilities but nothing else

David Heathcoat-Amory’s gardener used hundreds of sacks of horse manure and the MP submitted the receipts to Parliament

John Hemming designates a flat in Covent Garden as his second home. Charged £80 for a hotel “when locked out of flat (lost keys)”. A £1,499 television claim was reduced to £750 and has spent £681 on bedding

Doug Henderson has a second home in Primrose Hill. In 2007-08 he submitted many claims, without receipts, of £200 a month for council tax, £150 for cleaning, £400 for food and £100 for “service/maintenance”

Mark Hendrick admitted “estimating” the amount of mortgage interest he paid on his second home when claiming. He secretly paid back nearly £7,000 to the taxpayer claiming wrongly for two mortgages

Charles Hendry claimed more than £7,300 in taxpayer-funded expenses to pay for domestic staff at his second home

Stephen Hepburn has a second home is a flat in Lambeth, south London. In 2007-08 claimed the same amount, £1,923, every month. This included £690 mortgage interest, £380 on food, £200 on council tax and £190 on cleaning, all without receipts

John Heppell claimed the maximum second home allowance in each of the past four years. Owns a flat near Westminster and in 2007-8 claimed £2,019 a month in mortgage interest as well as £576 in service charges

Nick Herbert charged taxpayers more than £10,000 for stamp duty and fees when he and his partner bought a home together in his constituency

Sylvia Hermon rents a flat near Westminster. Had claims for travel rejected. In one month she appears to have had two attempts at adding up the total claim and wrote on the form: “Mental arithmetic hopeless!”

Stephen Hesford has a second home is a flat in Kennington, south London. In 2005-6 he put through a £5,599 bill for a new bathroom and challenged the fees office when told the most he would be allowed was £3,500

Patricia Hewitt claimed £920 in legal fees when she moved out of a flat in her constituency. Stayed in hotels then rented another flat in Leicester. Claimed for furniture including £194 blinds delivered to her London home

David Heyes rents a flat in the Barbican. Claimed £240 for cleaning services most months. In 2006 he put through receipts for £9.38 worth of “moth killer” along with black shoe shine, carpet cleaner and descaler

Keith Hill: as an inner London MP not eligible to claim for a second home allowance, but he took maximum London supplement of £2,812 last year. “It had never occurred to me that an MP would not pay for his meals out of his own pocket”

Meg Hillier: as an inner London MP Miss Hillier is not eligible to claim for a second home allowance, but she claimed the maximum London supplement of £2,812 last year

Mark Hoban claimed £35 on a toilet roll holder, £100 for a chrome shower rack and £79 for four silk cushion covers on his second home allowance

Margaret Hodge claimed thousands of pounds to pay for public relations services from a former government press officer

Sharon Hodgson moved second home from London to Gateshead in 2006 with monthly mortgage interest of £1,178. Claim for a £999 TV queried. Fees office said it was “luxurious” item

Kate Hoey is not eligible to claim for a second home allowance as an inner London MP, but claimed maximum London supplement of £2,812 last year. “I’m shocked by the abuses of the expenses system,” she said

Douglas Hogg included with his expenses claims the cost of having the moat cleared, piano tuned and stable lights fixed at his country manor house. He has agreed to repay £2,200 for the moat clearing

Adam Holloway had £2,219 worth of goods delivered to address in Gravesend which was cancelled by fees office. Insisted it was for second home in London and “re-claimed”. It was allowed

Philip Hollobone claimed monthly mortgage interest of £1,829 on designated second home in London in 2007-08. He mainly used his bank statements as proof of purchase for gas, water and utility bills

Paul Holmes regularly claimed between £300 and £400 for food in 2004-05. Tried to charge £250 for use of accountant but rejected by the fees office in February 2006. Claimed £290 for bedside cabinets

Jimmy Hood used his second homes allowance to claim up to £1,000 per month without providing receipts. Claimed the maximum £400 a month for food and £728 on monthly mortgage interest for his London second home. Submitted £110 receipt for new locks and £699 for a Samsung TV.

Geoff Hoon established a property empire worth £1.7 million after claiming taxpayer-funded expenses for at least two properties. He also did not pay capital gains tax on the sale of his London home in 2006. Claimed the costs of accountancy advice using expenses intended to fund their parliamentary and constituency offices. Bought expensive gadgets, including digital cameras and camcorders

Phil Hope spent more than £10,000 in one year refurbishing a small London flat. He has promised to pay back £41,000 to the taxpayer

Kelvin Hopkins claims just a fraction of the available second-home allowance by taking the train to Westminster from his home town

John Horam claimed just £190 monthly for mortgage interest on his Orpington second home in 2004-05, and £223 in 2006-07. Claimed little else apart from utilities, cleaning, TV licence and replacement boiler

Martin Horwood claimed large rent bills of around £1,500 and the rare bill for food. In 2008 submitted an £11.03 receipt for washing up liquid, £2.39 plasters and £1.79 for a tube of Savlon

Stewart Hosie made thousands of pounds of expense claims for furnishings, including £160 for scatter cushions

Michael Howard charged the taxpayer thousands of pounds for “gardening services” at his designated second home in Kent. He also used his office expenses to pay more than £44,000 to the Tory party over the past four years.

David Howarth has not made any claims on his second home allowance since 2004/05

Gerald Howarth claimed nearly £2,000 for the services of a gardener at his second home in Farnborough in 2004 and charged £40 for a strimmer. Claimed mortgage interest twice in April 2007 and repaid

Alan Howarth designated a £1.45 million London house on which he now claims House of Lords expenses as his second home

George Howarth has a second home in London. Claimed £1,000 for a chest of drawers which was reduced by the fees office to £500, and £20 for a colander. MP said he had bought the drawers as “they were the only ones that matched” his furniture

Kim Howells claimed £948.99 for a television at his second home which he designated in his constituency

Lindsay Hoyle claimed £700 per month from second home allowance for mortgage interest payments on his second home in London. Other claims included £505 on a table

Beverley Hughes rented a second home in London where she claimed £801.60 for reupholstering furniture, £718 on a chair and £435 on curtains and for bedding

Simon Hughes is not eligible for the second homes allowance as an inner London MP. He claimed the smaller London Supplement which amounted to £2,812 last year

Chris Huhne regularly submits receipts for bus tickets and groceries including pints of milk, fluffy dusters, lavatory rolls and chocolate HobNobs. He has promised to pay back £119 for a trouser press

Joan Humble claimed up to £1,900 per month to rent a second home in London. She also put in a claim for £1,195 for decorating and charged a further £663.92 for curtains

Jeremy Hunt claimed £600 per month mortgage interest payments on second home in Surrey. Also made claims for council tax, utilities and cleaning

Andrew Hunter claimed second home expenses for staying away from his main residence even though neither property was in London or his constituency

Mark Hunter rented a second home in London for £1,365 per month. He also claimed for food, utilities, council tax and a television licence but has made no other claims on his second home allowance

Nick Hurd was elected in 2005 to his outer London constituency. He does not claim the second homes allowance and instead claims the smaller London Supplement, which amounted to £2,812 last year

John Hutton faces questions over party funding after it emerged that he was paid rent to the Labour Party. Spent taxpayers’ money advertising at football and rugby league matches. Used his office expenses to pay for a degree studied by a member of his staff. Claims £1,340 a month in interest on the mortgage of his house in west London. Until August 2005, claimed £900 a month for interest on mortgage of his constituency home in Aldingham, Cumbria, before switching to London.

Brian Iddon rented a flat in London as his second home. The rental is just over £1,000 per month and he also claimed for food, utilities, council tax and parking charges at the London address

Eric Illsley claimed mortgage interest payments of £180 per month. Claimed for food, utilities, council tax and cleaning but made few other claims on his second home in London

Adam Ingram rented a flat in London as his second home. His claims have included £1,856 for redecoration of the flat and £150 on dishes. He submitted a claim of £17.99 for a hairdryer which was rejected

Huw Irranca-Davies claimed £4,500 for kitchen repairs and replacement at second home in London. Also claimed £700 for garden clearance and disposal of waste

Glenda Jackson has repaid more than £8,000 in expenses she wrongly claimed towards publication of an annual report. She did not claim on her second homes allowance between 2004 and 2008

Michael Jack designated a second home in London. Claims included £1,250 for sanding and varnishing a kitchen floor, £1,200 for a replacement fridge freezer, £1,295 for redecoration, £1,410 on kitchen cupboards

Stewart Jackson claimed more than £66,000 for his family home, including hundreds of pounds on refurbishing his swimming pool. He has agreed to repay the costs associated with his pool

Sian James claimed £1,200 rent on her second home in London, where other claims included £476.24 for furniture, another £265 on furniture, £100 on bedside cabinets and £25 on a stepladder

Bernard Jenkin rents his sister-in-law’s farmhouse as a second home and charged £50,000 to his expenses

Brian Jenkins claims little or no mortgage interest for his property in London

Alan Johnson claimed just £43,596 for his second home in 2004-8

Boris Johnson claimed £16.50 for a Remembrance Sunday wreath on his expenses during his time as an MP

Diana Johnson claimed nearly £1,000 to cover the cost of hiring an architect for a decorating project at her second home

David Jones: along with £3,155 for stamp duty and legal fees, he claimed £112 for a Dyson vacuum cleaner in his London home and £119 for a trouser press. Ivory curtains from Heal’s were £356, while furniture from the shop was £387

Helen Jones claimed £87,647 in second home allowances for her London flat between 2004 and 2008. Claimed £5,699 for estate agent fees for selling her flat in London. Her mortgage rose from £89,000 to £223,000 when she moved to a new flat. Blinds were £154, curtains were £25 and glasses were £57.44

Kevan Jones claimed £9,670 for fees and stamp duty on his £315,000 central London flat in May 2004. The flat is now believed to be worth about £350,000. Carpeting in “Berwick Sand” cost a further £1,913

Lynne Jones used upmarket Farrow & Ball wallpaper for a redecoration programme at her second home in London

Martyn Jones rents a flat and a car space (for £165 a month) near Parliament. Usually claimed £400 a month for food and a sofa bed cost £764. A new microwave was £129

Tessa Jowell is not eligible to claim for the second home allowance as an inner London MP, but receives the London Supplement, which was £2,812 last year

Eric Joyce claimed on a house in Croydon which he sold in 2007 for £383,000. He did not pay capital gains tax on the profit when he sold the house. He claimed £3500 for a new kitchen in 2005. Now stays in hotels in the capital

Sadiq Khan is ineligible for the second home allowance as an inner London MP. He claims the smaller “London supplement”. Claimed more than £4,500 through his office expenses for “consultancy” provided by Scarlett MccGwire, a media trainer. Also submits monthly bills for three mobile phones.

Gerald Kaufman charged the taxpayer £1,851 for a rug he imported from a New York antiques centre and tried to claim £8,865 for a television

Daniel Kawczynski rented a flat in London with Stephen Crabb until last year, when he told the fees office he was giving it up “in order to save taxpayers money”. Also bought a chest of drawers for £70, an armchair for £109 and a table for £142

Sally Keeble claimed £4,112 for windows at her Northampton house under the second home allowance, £3,072 for a new boiler and £950 for “essential maintenance” on the bathroom

Barbara Keeley claimed £13,000 for stamp duty when she bought a new flat in Westminster for £470,000 after living in rented accommodation

Alan and Ann Keen claimed almost £40,000 a year on a central London flat although their family home was less than 10 miles away

Ruth Kelly has claimed more than £31,000 to redecorate and furnish her designated second home in the past five years. She claimed thousands of pounds in expenses to pay for damage caused to her home by flooding, although at the time she had a building insurance policy

Fraser Kemp made repeat purchases of household items over the space of several weeks

Charles Kennedy charged taxpayers for three boxes of mints and two teddy bears bought from the gift shop at the House of Commons. He claimed only for mortgage interest and council tax at his second home in London

Jane Kennedy regularly claimed £400 a month for food, as well as £200 for utilities, £200 for telephone bills and £200 for service and maintenance on her second home, a flat in Lambeth

Robert Key claimed £1,650 on an oven for the house he owns in his Salisbury constituency. Painting the hall, landing, sitting room and kitchen Cornflower White cost £743

David Kidney said he was were paying back £2,450. Claimed only £600 on food in one year. Most of his claims comprise rent, utility bills and council tax payments

Peter Kilfoyle has claimed the maximum second home allowance over the past four years. Claims mortgage interest on a flat near Westminster and also charged taxpayers £1,770 in service charges

Julie Kirkbride claimed £1,000 to pay for computer equipment bought by her brother, who lives rent-free at her ’second home’. In addition she used allowances to pay her sister for work as a secretary. She also used taxpayers’ money to fund a £50,000 extension to her constituency flat so that her brother could live in the property. On May 28, said she would stand down at next election but did not apologise for her claims.

Lord Kirkwood claimed £5,000 in expenses to refurbish his London flat before retiring as an MP and selling it to his daughter for less than half its value

Greg Knight, an MP with a collection of classic cars, claimed £2,600 in expenses for repair work on the driveway at his designated second home

Jim Knight moved from renting one second home in London to buying another and his claims rose from £931 to £1,111. Claimed £89.99 vacuum cleaner, £14.99 shoe box and £39.99 for an ironing board

Susan Kramer did not claim on her second home allowance between 2004-8

Ashok Kumar claimed mortgage interest payments of £1,933.72 per month on a second home in London. Also claimed for food, council tax, utilities and cleaning

Stephen Ladyman claimed property in Ramsgate as second home with a £1,000 monthly mortgage interest between 2005 and 2008.Charged for regular £80 cleaning bills, £95 utilities, £50 telephone bill and £340 for food

Eleanor Laing has admitted that she did not pay capital gains tax when she made £1 million profit on a second home bought with the help of taxpayers’ money. David Cameron has ordered her to repay the money.

Jacqui Lait over-claimed on her second home mortgage for three years and had to pay back more than £7,000 after it was spotted by the fees office

Norman Lamb claimed just over £1,000 per month in mortgage interest payments for his second home in London. Also claimed £1,826 for refurbishment of a bathroom at the property

David Lammy is MP for an outer London constituency but does not claim the second homes allowance. He instead claims the smaller London Supplement, which amounted to £2,812 last year

Mark Lancaster claimed monthly mortgage interest of £1,115 on home in Olney, near Milton Keynes in 2005. Two years later rented flat in London

Andrew Lansley spent more than £4,000 of taxpayers’ money renovating his country home months before he sold it. He will repay £2,600 of decorating fees

Bob Laxton insisted he was ‘too busy’ to shop around when he attempted to claim £1,049 for a TV

David Laws claimed £950 per month rent for his second home in London. Also claimed council tax, utilities and food and £80 for a vacuum cleaner

Mark Lazarowicz paid back £2,675 for legal and professional fees last week but insisted he had not broken any rules. Afterwards said he felt he may have “over-reacted”

John Leech claimed £349.99 for a television and £548 for another television two years later. Also claimed £1,873.82 on furniture and £546.72 on carpets for his second home in London

David Lepper he was placed 545th out of 645 MPs in 2007-08, claiming only £11,175 of his second home allowance

Oliver Letwin repaired a pipe beneath his tennis court using taxpayers’ money. He has agreed to repay the money

David Lepper he was placed 545th out of 645 MPs in 2007-08, claiming only £11,175 of his second home allowance

Julian Lewis attempted to claim £6,000 in expenses for a wooden floor at his second home

Ivan Lewis claimed mortgage interest payments of £1,469 per month on his second home in London. Threatened with disconnection by British Gas after failing to pay his bill

Ian Liddell-Grainger claimed £746.93 in monthly mortgage interest payments on his second home in London. Also claimed £250 per month food. Also claimed for council tax, utilities and cleaning

David Lidington charged the taxpayer nearly £1,300 for his dry cleaning and claimed for toothpaste, shower gel, body spray and vitamin supplements on his second home allowance

Peter Lilley claimed more than £4,000 for fixing drains and leaks, £3,407 for a replacement boiler, £1,668 for renovating a shower and £1,185 for repairing windows at his second home in London

Martin Linton represents an inner London constituency and is therefore ineligible to claim the second homes allowance. He claimed the smaller London Supplement which amounted to £2,812 last year

Tony Lloyd rented a flat in London as his second home for just over £1,000 per month and made few other claims apart from food and £21 for a new set of door keys

Elfyn Llwyd claimed £4,233.38 for a replacement boiler after asbestos was found at his second home in London. Had to stay in hotels while the work was being carried out

Sir Michael Lord claimed more than £8000 over five years for his garden

Tim Loughton claimed mortgage interest payments of up to £1,200 on his second home, which he designated in his constituency. Also claimed for utilities and council tax

Andy Love claimed £3,500 in legal and property costs, £2,895 on redecoration. £929 for a television and £549 for a sideboard at a second home in London

Ian Lucas made £45,000 profit when he sold a London flat on which he had claimed second home expenses

Peter Luff bought three lavatory seats, three food mixers, two microwaves and 10 sets of bed linen while kitting out his country house and London flat at taxpayers’ expense

Lord Mandelson faces questions over the timing of his house claim which came after he had announced he would step down

Andrew Mackay resigned as David Cameron’s aide after it emerged that he and his wife Julie Kirkbride were making claims that meant they effectively had no main home but two second homes, both funded with public money

David Maclean spent thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money renovating a farmhouse before selling it for £750,000

Andrew MacKinlay claimed £980 rent per month on a second home in London. His few other claims included £44.99 on a digital set top box so he could watch the Parliament Channel

Angus MacNeil, the MP whose police complaint triggered the cash-for-peerages inquiry, tried to charge the taxpayer for his drinks bills, a chocolate bar and hundreds of pounds of “petty cash”

Denis MacShane claimed £850 monthly payments for his second home in London. Also claimed monthly amounts for food, utilities, cleaning and maintenance

Fiona MacTaggart claimed just £3,392 on her second homes allowance in 2007/08

Alice Mahon repaid a £20,000 home improvement loan using her parliamentary expenses

Khalid Mahmood enjoyed nine nights with his girlfriend at a luxury London hotel, costing the taxpayer £175 a night

Anne Main allowed her daughter to live rent-free at a flat paid for by taxpayer-funded second home allowances

Shahid Malik claimed £66,000 on his second property while paying less than £100 a week for his main house. He has resigned as justice minister pending an investigation

Humfrey Malins claimed £58,000 in taxpayer-funded expenses for a flat in which his children have stayed rent-free.

Judy Mallaber rarely claims for food

John Mann claimed £700 rent a month for second home in London in 2004-05. Regular claims for newspapers and unspecified “household requisites”. A year later, claimed room in Premier Inn while repairs done at flat

John Maples declared a private members’ club as his main home to the parliamentary authorities. He claimed the maximum second home allowance on his family house while apparently not having a “main” property to maintain

David Marshall designated a flat in Dolphin Square, London, as his second home and claimed rent before moving to another rented flat in the square. A £99 claim for a travel case was rejected. Claimed £225 for a duvet and £98.99 for a replacement video recorder. Stood down in 2008 citing ill health.

Bob Marshall-Andrews claimed £118,000 for expenses at his second home, including stereo equipment, extensive redecoration and a pair of Kenyan carpets.

Rob Marris claimed just £11,973 on his second homes allowance in 2007/08

Gordon Marsdon claimed just £9,739 on his second homes allowance in 2007/08

Michael Martin used taxpayers’ money to pay for chauffeur-driven cars to his local job centre and Celtic’s football ground

Eric Martlew claimed £900 for monthly mortgage interest in 2006-07. Claimed £450 for food in November 2004, had £50 taken off by fees office. Claimed twice for council tax in 2006, second claim refused by the fees office

Michael Mates rented a second home in London in 2005 with monthly payments of £919 and charged monthly car parking of £91. Claimed food payments of £150

Francis Maude claimed almost £35,000 in two years for mortgage interest payments on a London flat when he owned a house just a few hundred yards away. He has agreed to stop claiming for a second home. A claim for a laptop computer was refused

Theresa May claimed just £4,288 on her second home allowance in 2007/08

Tommy McAvoy claimed £86,565 in second home allowances between 2004 and 2008 for his flat in Westminster

Steve McCabe over-claimed on his mortgage by £4,059 during the course of two years

Chris McCafferty submitted receipt for £1,945 worth of carpet in March 2005 and £235 to have asbestos removed. Claimed £1,699 for bed, citing spinal problems, which was approved

Kerry McCarthy registered second home in Bristol in 2005. Claimed £117 hotel while claiming £600 in rent, refused by fees office. Bought house in London, claimed £3,657 for stamp duty and moving costs

Sarah McCarthy-Fry tried to claim a pair of £100 hair straighteners on her parliamentary expenses.

Ian McCartney spent £16,000 furnishing and decorating his designated second home but paid the money back two years later. McCartney, a former Labour Party chairman, will not stand at general election, citing “health reasons”

William McCrea charged hotel stays and maximum £400 food allowance for most of 2005-06. Claimed £10,000 for furniture for house bought in south London in April 2006

Siobhan McDonagh: outer London MP, opted for London supplement instead of second home allowance. She said: “The only personal expense I re-claim is for transport.”

Alasdair McDonnell claimed hotel accommodation in 2005 before he bought a flat in London. Charged £13,800 in stamp duty and £1,360 for blinds and curtains

John McDonnell: as an outer London MP, he could have claimed for a second home allowance, but opted for the London supplement instead, which was £2,812 last year

John McFall: second home in London. Claimed monthly mortgage interest of £850 in 2006, which rose to £1,000 in 2007. Made regular maximum monthly £400 claims for food

Pat McFadden rented property in Wolverhampton in 2005 for about £500 a month. Claimed £528 television. Start of 2006 bought second home in Wolverhampton. £969 claim for lights, curtains and blinds

Jim McGovern stayed in London hotels in 2005 before buying flat in the city at the end of the year. Claimed £106 for a toaster, £25 for a sandwich cage and £47 for an ironing board

Eddie McGrady claimed more than £17,000 for top-of-the-range London hotels and tried to charge the taxpayer £2,570 for food, laundry and telephone bills over eight nights

Martin McGuinness and four other Sinn Fein MPs claimed more than £500,000 over five years even though the Sinn Fein MPs refuse to attend Parliament

Anne McGuire claimed rent for London flat. Between 2005-07 sometimes put through maximum monthly £400 claim for food. She said MPs needed “the help of an independent body” to regulate the claims system

Anne McIntosh claimed more than £5,000 for gardening at constituency home in Yorkshire. Claimed for two mousetraps, mouse poison. Asked for proof of monthly £621 rent/mortgage on second home in 2006. Had not offered proof since 2000

Shona McIsaac claimed more than £4,600 on furniture in 2005-06 and 2006-07 including a sofa, dresser and wardrobe. Billed for a £80 coat stand

Ann McKechin claimed £852 for furniture from John Lewis, including three band rug, chest of drawers, Toshiba 24in flat screen television and Philips DVD player. Claimed for £168 furnishings and £120 garden bill at second home in London

Rosemary McKenna claims of £1,895 for work on shower in her Westminster flat, also new carpet and flooring at £1,633. Claimed £254 for air-conditioning unit and £1,600 for furniture

Patrick McLoughlin, the senior MP asked by David Cameron to scrutinise Tory expenses, claimed £3,000 for new windows at his second home. He also tried to recoup £158.63 for the removal of a wasps’ nest from his home

Tony McNulty claimed £60,000 of expenses on his parents’ home and more than £2,000-worth of accountancy bills

Michael Meacher claimed just £32,825 on his second homes allowance between 2004-8

Alan Meale spent more than £13,000 on his garden in four years, billing the taxpayer for a new storage building, repairs to his fencing and gates, and bark to keep the weeds down

Patrick Mercer claims mostly for service charges and mortgage payments. Claimed £2,800 for food in one year and unsuccessfully for mobile phone bill

Gillian Merron claims £4,200 for food in one year. Bills taxpayer for £1,200 worth of furniture and rugs, and more than £1,700 of electrical goods including new washer dryer and hundreds of pounds of household items

Alun Michael claims £4,800 for food in one year, and £2,600 for repairs to his roof at his constituency home in Penarth. Claims for £1,250 cost of repairing a wall and building a 13ft chain link fence

Alan Milburn claimed £565 for six Habitat “Tallow” chairs, and a £1,009 kitchen table and bench. Also claimed for £1,565 in repairs to an apartment and a £24 DVD player. Claimed for £570 coffee table and rug

David Miliband’s spending was queried by his gardener. Faces questions over party funding after it emerged he paid rent to the Labour Party from expenses. Claimed for party political propaganda and was one of at least five ministers who paid a Labour MP’s husband for personal tax advice

Ed Miliband claimed just £7,670 on his second home allowance in 2007/08. Ed Miliband claimed just £7,670 on his second home allowance in 2007/08. Hired Scarlett MccGwire for “consultancy” services on the public purse

Andrew Miller claimed for a £549 LG 17 in widescreen LCD television, and a £843 replacement carpet. Also claimed more than £1,100 for repairs, plumbing and decorating, as well as a £199 water softener

Maria Miller claimed for £190 repairs to carpets and £90 of garden work in second home in Wimbledon. Claim for crockery turned down by fees office

Ann Milton did not make any claims on her second home allowance in 2007/08

Andrew Mitchell claimed £19000 for cleaning redecorating and furnishing his West Midlands constituency home and garden

Austin Mitchell claimed for security shutters, ginger crinkle biscuits and the cost of reupholstering his sofa. He has offered to donate his old sofa coverings to make amends

Anne Moffat charged £600 a month in mortgage interest payments and up to £400 for food. Among her claims were: £3,819 for electrical work and flooring, £1,825 for decorating, £917 wood preservation, £1,000 bed, £2,300 boiler, £648 bedstead.

Laura Moffatt has given up a riverside apartment she used to pay for on her parliamentary expenses in favour of a camp bed in her House of Commons office

Chris Mole charged £3,174 bill for stamp duty and legal fees on home in south London. Also claimed £851 for carpets and furnishings, as well as £380 for DVD recorder

Madeleine Moon spent thousands in furniture shops near her Welsh constituency house and claimed the money back on her London designated second home allowance

Margaret Moran switched the address of her second home, allowing her to claim £22,500 to fix a dry rot problem. She has agreed to repay the money while insisting she acted within the rules. She could face an investigation for allegedly using Commons stationery to keep neighbours away from her fourth property in Spain. She also billed the taxpayer for nearly £4,000 in legal fees in settling a dispute with one of her staff and faces a challenge at the next general election from Esther Rantzen . On May 28, announced she is to stand down at next election but maintains she did nothing wrong.

Michael Moore claimed for £64 electric razor, disallowed by fees office. Claimed for £3,100 on food in one year on London flat. Also claimed for £89 speakers, £36 stereo accessory, £199 DVD player, £89.95 digital radio

Jessica Morden claimed £1,068 a month in mortgage interest payments in 2007-08. In the same year put through claims of £1 for cleaning wipes, and £16.82 for pasting table and spoons

Julie Morgan makes do with a small flat in south London costing the taxpayer less than 10,000 a year

Estelle Morris claimed thousands of pounds to refurbish her London flat just months before she stepped down

Elliot Morley claimed parliamentary expenses of more than £16,000 for a mortgage which had already been paid off. He was suspended by the Labour Party but has now announced that he will stand down at the next election

Malcolm Moss previously nominated a flat in Vauxhall as his second home and had to repay £1,203 to the fees office after it said interest on an additional mortgage was not allowable

Kali Mountford: second home is an apartment in Dolphin Square, where her monthly rent was £1,256 in 2007-08. Also claims for food, cleaning services and utility bills. The previous year claimed £550 for a fridge

George Mudie claimed £62,000 in expenses for his London flat in four years, while having a mortgage of just £26,000

Greg Mulholland: formerly rented flat in Dolphin Square, but last year moved to a block in Vauxhall. Claim of £37.94 for “cot and playpen” refused. In 2007-08 claimed £138 to reframe five pictures and £158 for pine bookshelf

Chris Mullin, a former minister, watches a 30-year-old black and white television at his second home and claims the £45 cost of the licence on his expenses

David Mundell claimed more than £3,000 on MPs’ expenses for cameras, photographers and photo-editing computer software to take hundreds of pictures of himself. He stayed in hotels after being elected, then shares a rented flat with another MP. Moves to flat near Westminster, where claims £1,400 a month in rent

Meg Munn’s husband has been paid more than £5,000 in parliamentary expenses to provide personal tax advice to at least five ministers, including David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary. She claimed the maximum second home allowances in three of the four years. From 2005 she claimed £1,350 per month in interest on the mortgage of her home in Westminster. Like many colleagues, claimed hundreds of pounds in office expenses for financial advice services provided by her husband.

Conor Murphy and four other Sinn Fein MPs claimed more than £500,000 over five years even though the Sinn Fein MPs refuse to attend Parliament

Denis Murphy: second home is a flat in Kennington, where he claims £500 a month in mortgage interest payments. In 2005-06 spent £120 on “jewelled tulip” curtains. In 2007-08 spent £1,430 on redecoration

Jim Murphy: nominates his constituency home in Glasgow as second home, where he claimed £780 a month mortgage interest payments in 2007-08. Also claimed £4,884 for bathroom renovation from B&Q but paid £3,499 back into allowance

Paul Murphy had a new plumbing system installed at taxpayers’ expense because the water in the old one was “too hot”

Andrew Murrison: second home is a flat near Westminster, claims about £1,100 a month mortgage interest payments. In 2005-06 spent £4,101 on furnishings, including £2,551 at Harrods

Doug Naysmith nominates a flat near Parliament as second home, paying £1,358 a month rent. Claimed £2,600 on food in 2007-08. Year before, spent £40 on crockery and glass

Bob Neill bought flat in his constituency after being elected. Put in a bill on expenses of £14,224 in stamp duty and solicitors’ fees. Now claims £1,425 a month mortgage interest payments, £112 council tax

Brooks Newmark nominates a rented house in a village in Essex constituency as his second home. The only charge on his parliamentary expenses is his rent, currently £2,000 a month

Dan Norris nominates a house near Bristol as second home, on which he claims around £700 a month in mortgage interest payments. Claimed £4,000 for food in 2007-08. Year before, claimed £59 for a lawnmower and £54 for a strimmer

Mark Oaten: second home in Wandsworth, where he claims £1,200 a month in mortgage interest payments. Claimed £116 for irons in three years. Told to repay £1,187 in 2006-07 after fees office allowed him to overspend allowance

Mike O’Brien: in 2006-07 claimed £825 for a 32in Sony television, which he repayed in full in April 2008 in order to move it to his other home. Year later, claimed £17.49 for a carbon monoxide detector

Stephen O’Brien: second home is flat in Vauxhall where he claims £1,300 a month in mortgage interest payments. Charged £14,882 in stamp duty and legal fees when he moved in

Edward O’Hara spent £6,300 on replacement windows, £5,293 on a bathroom, £1,460 on bedroom furniture and £733 on window blinds at his second home in his constituency

Bill Olner claimed £1,408.33 per month rent for a second home in London. Also claimed for food, utilites, council tax and cleaning

Lembit Opik had to pay £2,499 for a 42-inch plasma television after purchasing it while Parliament was dissolved

Sandra Osborne rented flat in London as second home and paid £3,670 a quarter in 2006-07. Claimed full annual rent by Dec 2006 and told fees office no more rent claims would be made until following April. Claimed £963 for carpets and £95 for two rugs

George Osborne was rebuked by the Commons authorities for using public money to fund his “political” website. He also claimed money for a chauffeur-driven car which he has agreed to repay

Richard Ottaway claimed £2,650 for half the cost of a £5,300 bed needed because of back problems. Also claimed £102 on coal and £122 for chimney sweeping at his second home in Surrey.

Albert Owen designated second home in London and claimed monthly mortgage interest of £1,288 in August 2007. Claimed £629 for television, £73 for painting and decorating and £89 for cutlery

James Paice claims mortgage interest on south London flat. Spent £2,684 on furniture in May 2004 and in March 2007, spent another £2,130

Ian Paisley claims rent on second home in west London. December 2003, claimed for night at Jolly Hotel St Ermin’s in the city, including £3 on minibar

Nick Palmer rents second home in London. Switched between rental properties, claiming £424 in August 2005 for removal costs. Later switched back to rental flat in the original block

Owen Paterson claimed mortgage interest of £1,041 a month on flat near Parliament. Switched to another property in 2005, payments rose to £1,657

Ian Pearson has second home in West Midlands, claims mortgage interest. Other claims: £240 for 20 hours of gardening

Andrew Pelling does not claim additional costs allowance (ACA). Claimed the smaller London Supplement, which was £2,812 last year

Mike Penning , a shadow health minister, charged the taxpayer £2.99 for a stainless steel dog bowl

John Penrose’s second home is Thames-side flat near Parliament, with tracker mortgage, on which he claims monthly interest payments of around £2,000

Eric Pickles claimed for £200 in petty cash monthly between 2005 and the middle of 2008. Claimed mortgage interest of less than £250 a month and service charges of £750 a year for a flat in east London. One of the lower claimers. Stopped using the additional costs allowance to run a second home when made party chairman.

James Plaskitt asked by fees office not to claim nominal sums such as £400 or £300 a month for groceries without submitting evidence of expenditure

Greg Pope claimed £1,590 for shopping at John Lewis in March 2006. In September 2006, submitted claim of £560 for two paintings, for which a receipt with no company letterhead was submitted

Stephen Pound is not eligible for second home allowance. Claimed £160 for guided tour of Palace of Westminster under Incidental Expenses Provision (IEP)

Bridget Prentice claimed no ACA. Office IEP expenses include £230 in 2004 for accountant to prepare her tax return

Gordon Prentice claimed £2,262 for items bought at John Lewis, including a £749 television, £649 fridge freezer and various furniture for London flat on top of £900-a-month mortgage

John Prescott claimed for two lavatory seats in two years

Adam Price claimed for books, including Bring Home the Revolution: The Case for a British Republic, by Jonathan Freedland. Queried by fees office

Dawn Primarolo claimed on second home in Bristol. In 2004, switched to London flat and claimed mortgage interest payments

Mark Pritchard moved flats in Westminster in 2007, claiming for £199 vacuum cleaner, £1,000 furnishings, kitchen utensils worth £66, bedding of £45 and a £145 microwave

Gwyn Prosser paid his brother from his taxpayer-funded expenses to carry out work on his London flat – despite the fact that he lived almost 200 miles away.

John Pugh rents London flat for £1,280 a month; rent claims rose to £1,500. In July 2006, told fees office his daughter would be staying while at university, so he would reduce claims on rent and utilities. Claims remained close to maximum

Ken Purchase spent £1,465 on new blinds for second home in south London in 2005-06. Regularly claims up to maximum £400 a month for food. Monthly mortgage interest payments were £580 last year, leaving an ACA of £14,713

James Purnell avoided paying capital gains tax on the sale of his London flat after claiming expenses for accountancy advice. Bought expensive gadgets. Spent taxpayers’ money advertising at football and rugby league matches

Bill Rammell claimed £475 a month mortgage interest in 2008 for second home located in constituency. Claimed £1,360 for replastering and installing downlights in bedroom

Nick Raynsford: as an inner London MP, he is not eligible to claim a second home allowance, but he claimed the maximum London Supplement of £2,812 last year

John Redwood has admitted being paid twice after submitting an identical £3,000 decorating bill on his second home allowance

Andy Reed has a flat as second home in Westminster. In 2007, claimed £1,180 for the flat but this fell to £727 for a mortgage interest payment in 2008. Website states he claims about £450 aper month in mortgage interest payments

Jamie Reed claimed £8,640 stamp duty and £3,943 in legal fees when he bought London home in May 2006. Claimed £2,336 for two beds and two mattresses, but this was reduced to £1,000 by the fees office

Alan Reid claimed more than £1,500 on his parliamentary expenses for staying in hotels and bed-and-breakfasts near his home

John Reid used his allowance to pay for slotted spoons, an ironing board and a glittery loo seat

Willie Rennie’s second home is a flat in Lambeth, south London. In 2005, claimed £708 for new cooker and fridge freezer. In 2007, claimed for £1,350 monthly rent

Sir Malcolm Rifkind claimed the smaller London Supplement, which amounted to £2,812 last year

Linda Riordan bought flat in Kennington in early 2006, claims for mortgage interest. Claims for beds/headboards refused, but £219 bedding, £1,310 sofa bed/chair and £1,936 carpet approved. Regularly claims maximum £400 for unreceipted monthly food bills

Andrew Robathan claimed monthly mortgage interest payments on London home of more than £3,300 before notifying the fees office he was switching his second home to a new property in his constituency, “which we are going to refurbish”

Angus Robertson successfully appealed to the fees office when they turned down his claim for a £400 home cinema system

Hugh Robertson rents second home in London for more than £1,800 a month. Main home, in Kent, belongs to his wife’s family. He checked with fees office that this arrangement was in order, they confirmed it was

John Robertson rents a second home in London for about £1,100 a month and has claimed £675 in window cleaning at the property since 2005

Laurence Robertson designates constituency house as second home, claiming £900 monthly mortgage interest and about £800 a year heating oil. Pays wife Susan’s travel and phone from office allowance. She works for him but they are separated

Geoffrey Robinson has not made any claims on his second home allowance since 2004/05

Peter and Iris Robinson both claimed expenses based on the same £1,223 bill when they submitted their parliamentary claims in 2007

Dan Rogerson bought London flat in 2005. Claimed £2,500 stamp duty, £1,572 legal fees, £340 survey; £1,108 furniture. In March 2008, changed mortgage to interest-only, allowing maximum benefits of ACA

Terry Rooney claimed interest payments on mortgage for home in Bradford using second home allowance. Between March 2007 and April 2008, claimed £1,200 for cleaning

Andrew Rosindell claims mortgage interest on second home in London. Grocery bills submitted for claims included purchases of Farley’s Rusks and jellied eels

Paul Rowen claimed mortgage interest payments for second home in Battersea, south London. In 2007, claimed for a £325 rug, a chest of drawers costing £295 and an £85 bedside table, all from John Lewis

Frank Roy claimed £455 on “assorted bedding, curtains and furnishings” in March 2006. In July, submitted bill for £750 towards £795 HD-ready 32 in television with DVD player. In January 2008, claimed £265 for sink waste disposal unit

Chris Ruane claimed £4,560 part costs of buying flat in March 2006, then claimed £10,958 for remainder following month. Fees office noted on claim that this could not be paid because costs were incurred in 2005-06 financial year and it was then 2006-07

Joan Ruddock claimed £235 for training on debt advice provided by Shelter, the charity, in May 2008. Confirmed she paid tax on reimbursed accountacy fees

David Ruffley claimed for new furniture and fittings after “flipping” his second home from London to a new flat in his constituency

Bob Russell claims mortgage interest for south London flat he shares with fellow MP Mike Hancock. In July 2006, claimed £1,035 for replacing windows

Christine Russell claims rent on second home in London, which she shares with fellow MP Helen Southworth

Joan Ryan spent thousands of pounds on repairs and decorations at her constituency home before switching her designated second home to a London property

Alex Salmond claimed £400 per month for food when the Commons was not even sitting

Martin Salter has not made any claims on his second home allowance since 2004/05

Adrian Sanders claimed rent on his London flat of up to £988 a month. Claimed for £55 vase from the Dartington Cider Press Centre in Totnes, Devon

Mohammed Sarwar claimed almost £100,000 to cover mortgage interest that he paid from an account with a Swiss bank.

Alison Seabeck claims £1,100 a month mortgage interest for her constituency home, but billed £65 for a night in local hotel plus £10 breakfast after she had left her keys in London

Andrew Selous designates constituency property as second home, on which he claims monthly mortgage interest payments of more than £1,600

Grant Shapps claimed just £7,269 on his second homes allowance in 2007/08

Virendra Sharma chose not to claim designated second home expenses under ACA after entering Parliament in a by-election in July, 2007, although he was entitled to them as an outer London MP. Took £1,958 in London supplement in 2007-08 and £15,988 in office expenses.

Jonathan Shaw claimed £240 in London hotel bills plus £800 monthly flat renta in March 2005, saying it was being redecorated

Barry Sheerman claimed mortgage interest payments of about £900 a month on London second home, £1,338 for 20 in Apple iMac on office expenses

Richard Shepherd spent £6,223 on gardening since 2004 including an instruction to “prune plantation (conifer)”. Has also claimed £7,771 for kitchen repairs, £5,730 for roofing and £2,080 for a new boiler

Jim Sheridan used his allowances to reclaim the cost of a 42-inch plasma TV, leather bed and hundreds of pounds worth of furniture. Claimed £2,091 for three-seater sofa, two-seater sofa bed, coffee table and lamp table for London home bought from Edinburgh dfs store in March 2006

Clare Short claimed thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money to which she was not entitled within months of standing down as a Cabinet minister

Mark Simmonds claims up to £2,696 a month for interest-only mortgage on second home in London

Sion Simon claimed £5,400 in stamp duty after moving house in London in May 2008. Also claimed £1,850 on refurbishing new home that month

Alan Simpson claimed £4,000 towards the cost of replacing the boiler at second home in Lambeth. In September 2007, claimed £10,000 towards £11,020 on stripping out old kitchen

David Simpson bought London flat in March 2006. Over two days, claimed £6,234 for furniture. Claimed £1,082 monthly mortgage interest payments

Keith Simpson has claimed almost £200 for light bulbs on his expenses

Marsha Singh claimed mortgage interest payments for London flat as second home. Claimed for £750 television, £229 DVD player and £400 music player with handwritten receipt

Andrew Slaughter is not eligible to claim ACA. In 2007, claimed for a fountain pen nib costing £90 using his IEP

Andrew Smith spent more than £30,000 of taxpayers’ money giving his house a makeover

Angela Smith sought payment for four beds for a one-bedroom London flat

Angela E Smith claimed £1,100 for plumbing work including fitting a new bath with “imperial thermostatic” taps in June 2004

Geraldine Smith spent £235 on picture and £185 on mirror for London flat in August 2005. Bought Bali table lamp, floor lamp and three cushions for total of £620 one month later

Jacqui Smith claimed the costs of accountancy advice using expenses intended to fund their parliamentary and constituency offices. Bought expensive gadgets including an iPhone for her husband.

John Smith claimed £57,955 in second home expenses in four years without submitting a single receipt.

Sir Robert Smith claimed about £910 a month for mortgage interest payments on Lambeth flat in 2008-09

Anne Snelgrove claimed £4,100 for furniture including a bedstead, sofa and chest of drawers. Also claimed £499.97 for a television set, £454.70 for crockery and kitchen equipment, £655 on a table, chairs and bookcase, and £55 on towels.

Nicholas Soames claimed up to £1,340 a month for mortgage interest on Westminster home

Sir Peter Soulsby fell behind with the rent at his offices but when the £472 bailiffs bill arrived he billed the taxpayer

Helen Southworth claims rent on second home in London, which she shares with fellow MP Christine Russell. Claimed £709 for a television, £259 for an air conditioning unit and £239 for a Dyson cleaner

John Spellar claims for his constituency home in the West Midlands. Claimed £600 for a tree surgeon, £1.99 for a washing up brush and 47p for a pair of rubber gloves

Caroline Spelman made no claims for mortgage interest or rent on her second home in 2006-07 and 2007-08

Michael Spicer claimed for work on his helipad and received thousands of pounds for gardening bills

Bob Spink claimed about £25,000 for fees and refurbishment when he bought a flat in 2004. Included was £11,000 for decorators’ fees, £3,400 for a leather sofa, £3,000 for carpets and curtains

Richard Spring claimed monthly mortgage interest payments of more than £1,300 on a property in Suffolk. Also claimed £35.25 to treat a wasps’ nest

Sir John Stanley claims for rent on London flat, also claims for food, utilities, council tax and a cleaner

Phyllis Starkey claims for rent on home in consituency, along with utilities and council tax. Also owns a house in Oxford from which rental income is received

Anthony Steen claimed £87,000 on country mansion with 500 trees. He has announced he will step down at the next election

Ian Stewart claims rent on flat in London. Also claimed for a £500 leather suite and a £1,247 computer bought from the shopping channel QVC

Howard Stoate claimed thousands in DIY bills ‘to ease the burden on the taxpayer’

Gavin Strang claims for his flat in London and for up to £400 per month in food. Also receives rental income from farmland and woodland in Perthshire

Jack Straw only paid half the amount of council tax that he claimed on his parliamentary allowances over four years but later rectified the over-claim. Used his office expenses to pay for a degree studied by a member of his staff

Gary Streeter claims for the mortgage interest on his constituency home in Plymouth, also claimed for food and £1.60 for a pack of 10 lightbulbs

Gisela Stuart claims for mortgage interest on constituency home in Birmingham and up to £2,000 per year for food. Also owns a family home in Worcestershire and a flat in London

Graham Stringer: hotel stays when in London and claims up to £4,800 per year for food. Hotel bills have included snacks such as Pringles crisps at £1.75

Graham Stuart shares a flat in London with Conservative MP David Mundell, shares costs with him and claims for rent, council tax and utilities. Bills for household items included £426 for duvet, pillows and towels

Andrew Stunell claims for mortgage interest on flat in London, also claimed for £5,545 replacement windows by Everest. Claims more than £1,000 per year for food in some years

Gerry Sutcliffe claims for mortgage interest on constituency home in Bingley. Claimed £3,790 for fitted bedroom, £2,616 for new gutters and sofit boards, and £1,745 for two sofas

Desmond Swayne has a second home in London, on which he paid a £652 monthly mortgage interest in 2005-06. Rose to £711 in 2007-08. Charged £6,131 for new kitchen and £411 for tree work in 2006

Jo Swinson included receipts for eyeliner, a “tooth flosser” and 29p dusters with her parliamentary expenses claims

Hugo Swire, the former shadow culture secretary, designated his first home in London and claimed for rent at his second home in Devon. He said London was his main home and his daughter went to school in the capital. In June, 2007, he claimed £349 for a satellite navigation system to “cover the 176.25 square miles of his constituency”.

Robert Syms claimed more than £2,000 worth of furniture on expenses for his designated second home in London, but had it all delivered to his parents’ address in Wiltshire

Mark Tami has a second home in Bromley, Kent. Bought London home in Dec 2007, claimed £9,000 stamp duty and mortgage interest rate increased to £1,300

Sir Peter Tapsell claimed rent for second home in London, which rose from £4,821 a quarter in 2006 to £5,417 a quarter in 2008. Total claims over fours years of £87,729

Dari Taylor claimed flat in south-east London as second home and charged monthly mortgage interest of £1,000 in 2008. Fees office asked for evidence of mortgage in October 2007

David Taylor has a second home in London, monthly mortgage interest payments of £375 in 2005 rose to £700 after buying new second home in 2007

Ian Taylor has a second home in London and claimed monthly mortgage interest of £1,452 in 2006 and 2007. Few other bills apart from council tax, maintenance, cleaning and repairs

Matthew Taylor claims for flat in London while also owning another flat in London which he rents out. Bills include £350 for gardening, £1,373 for curtains and blinds

Richard Taylor claims for renting flat in London and for council tax. No claims for furniture, cleaning, utilities or food

Sarah Teather did not claim on her second homes allowance between 2004 and 2008

Gareth Thomas used public money to settle a £1,000 accountancy bill to recover a tax “over-payment” of £2,000. Has repaid more than £1,600 he claimed for gardening, £1,200 he overclaimed for council tax and mortgage interest payments and £30 for wine and other personal items

Emily Thornberry is not entitled to claim for a second home as an inner London MP. However, takes home the London Supplement, which was £2,812 last year

John Thurso claimed rent on designated second home in London and for hotels across Scotland because of “vast area of constituency”. Approved by fees office

Stephen Timms is an outer London MP who chooses not to claim second homes allowance. Claims the London Supplement which amounted to £2,812 last year

Paddy Tipping claimed mortgage interest payments of about £500 per month on a flat in London. His overall claims were only just over half the maximum amount claimed by some MPs

Mark Todd defended his expenses claims as “essentials” but included a marble table and an espresso coffee machine

Baroness Tonge claimed mortgage interest on her second home allowance as an MP, then after her retirement leased the property to a fellow MP who in turn recovered the rent from the taxpayer

Don Touhig spent thousands of pounds redecorating his constituency home before “flipping” his allowance to a flat in London

David Tredinnick submitted a single mortgage interest claim of £14,073 for Sept to Dec 2007. The fees office paid £9,442 because he had already reached the allowance limit for 2007-08

Jon Trickett claimed £761.68 per month in mortgage interest payments for a second home in London. Also claimed for food, utilities and council tax

Paul Truswell stays in hotels in London while at Westminster, usually paying £119 for a room, also claimed for £4.95 packets of nuts from the minibar. In 2007-08, claimed £2,255 for food and £18 for laundry

Andrew Turner used his office expenses to pay for his girlfriend, who is also his parliamentary assistant, to have “life coaching” classes

Des Turner claimed mortgage interest payments of up to £450 per month on a flat in London as his designated second home. Also claimed up to £400 per month food. Claimed roughly half of the maximum available under the second homes allowance.

Neil Turner claimed for mortgage interest on flat in London, and up to £400 per month for food some months. Also claims utilities, council tax and for small amounts of furniture

Derek Twigg moved his designated second home from constituency to flat near Parliament in 2004, now claims £1,343 a month in rent. Claimed £110 for an iron and radio in 2005, and £77 for same items two years later

Lord Tyler claimed for the mortgage interest on his family-owned flat in Westminster – and then sold his share to his daughter a month after he quit as an MP

Andrew Tyrie nominates a flat in property near his constituency as second home. Claims £700 a month in mortgage interest payments and £6,000 a year on service charges

Kitty Ussher asked the Commons authorities to fund extensive refurbishment of her Victorian family home

Ed Vaizey had £2,000 worth of furniture delivered to his London home when he was claiming his Commons allowance on a second home in Oxfordshire.

Shailesh Vara tried to claim £1,500 on his expenses for costs incurred before he was elected

Keith Vaz claimed £75,500 for a second flat near Parliament even though he already lived just 12 miles from Westminster

Sir Peter Viggers included with his expense claims the £1,645 cost of a floating duck house in the garden pond at his Hampshire home. He has announced he will step down at the next election and admitted he made a “ridiculous and grave error of judgment”

Theresa Villiers claimed almost £16,000 in stamp duty and professional fees on expenses when she bought a London flat, even though she already had a house in the capital. She has agreed to stop claiming the second home allowance

Rudi Vis receives second home allowance and claims £2,300 a month interest on a mortgage he took out in 2006 on his constituency home. Says main home is in Suffolk

Charles Walker claims £700 in mortgage interest payments for flat in Wandsworth, constituency home is 21 miles from Westminster. Claimed £6,732 for decoration, carpets, curtains and re-wiring at flat

Ben Wallace claimed for more than £700 to stay at Carlton Club after May 2005 general election. Included the cost of at least three Daily Telegraphs on bill. Most claims made up of rent, council tax bills and utility bills

Joan Walley claimed for more than £4,400 of furniture in London flat in 2004-05 and a £195 blanket. In 2005-06, claimed for £1,199 LCD Sony television. Fees office cut bill to £750

Robert Walter attempted to claim £1,008 for handmade carpets he bought while on a trip to India. Claimed for £16,000 moving costs; estate agents’ commission, stamp duty and solicitors’ fees. Then claimed for two flat screen televisions worth £749 and £399 and eight chairs worth £744

Lynda Waltho claimed £1,680 for food in one year. Billed taxpayer for £472 bed, £81 sheets, towels and a pillow and £1,022 of electrical equipment. Also claimed for £380 armchair and £8.32 kettle

Claire Ward, the MP responsible for keeping the Queen informed about Parliament, submitted monthly expense claims for hundreds of pounds of “petty cash” while claiming maximum allowances

Bob Wareing claimed for more than £4,000 in food bills in 2004-05. Then claimed for £176 air conditioning unit, as well as a £19.99 kettle for his Westminster flat

Nigel Waterson claimed mortgage interest/rent payments and food bills at his second home in Beckenham, Kent. Also billed taxpayer £1,055 to paint house and garage

Angela Watkinson claimed £3,100 to redecorate flat including new doors, latches and locks in 2005-06. Then claimed £6,350 for a new bathroom, as well as £804 for a television, microwave and fridge

Tom Watson and Iain Wright spent £100,000 of taxpayers’ money on the London flat they once shared

Dave Watts claimed for refurbishment to kitchen (£3,543), bathroom (£3,500) and £742 redecoration. Also claimed for £549 Philips LCD 26 in television

Steve Webb sold his London flat and bought another nearby, while the taxpayer picked up an £8,400 bill for stamp duty

Mike Weir claimed £1,300 per month rent for his second home in London plus bills for utilities, telephone, council tax and food

Alan Whitehead claimed mortgage interest payments of up to £730 per month on his second home in London. Also claimed £1,942.98 for a replacement boiler

John Whittingdale claimed £1,828.30 for bathroom fitting, £1,800 for a replacement boiler, £774.50 on a sofa and rug from Laura Ashley and £1,014 on a bed

Malcolm Wicks was entitled to claim for a second home allowance but instead claimed for the more moderate London subsidy of £2,812

Ann Widdecombe claimed just £858 on her second home allowance in 2007/08

Bill Wiggin claimed interest payments for a property which had no mortgage

Betty Williams claimed mortgage interest payments of £519 per month on London flat. Also claimed service charge, utilities, telephone and food but made few other claims

Hywel Williams claimed more than £1,000 per month in mortgage interest payments on London flat. Also claimed £2,408.75 for a plumbing bill

David Willetts, the Conservatives’ choice for skills minister, needed help changing light bulbs. He has agreed to repay the bill

Alan Williams claimed just £5,221 on his second homes allowance in 2007/08

Mark Williams claimed up to £1,300 per month to rent a flat in London as his second home but made few other claims under the allowance

Stephen Williams claimed up to £1,500 per month to cover rent at his second home, a flat in London. Also claimed for food and utility bills but made few other claims

Roger Williams claimed £1,200 per month in rent for a flat in London, which he designated as his second home. Also claimed for food, utilities and cleaning

Phil Willis spent thousands of pounds of public funds on mortgage interest payments, redecoration and furnishings for a flat where his daughter now lives.

Jenny Willott claimed up to £1,500 per month to live in a flat in London as her second home. Also claimed £519 for a sofa, £933.50 for a bed and £850 for a mattress

Michael Wills claims about £1,120 a month in interest for the mortgage on his house in Wiltshire. On one occasion, the fees office agreed to pay £2,633 for a claim made two months after the deadline for 2005-06 had passed. He said a “genuine mistake” had been made by a “trusted and normally reliable member of staff”.

David Wilshire claimed thousands of pounds of taxpayers money for monthly payments towards the cost of replacing curtains and carpets at some point in the future. Claimed up to £1,375 per month in mortgage interest payments and also claimed for council tax, service charges and food

Phil Wilson claimed £1,250 per month in rent for a London flat, which he designated as his second home. Also claimed £350 for a sofa bed

Rob Wilson did not claim on his second homes allowance between 2004 and 2008

Sammy Wilson originally claimed for hotels when in London. Later jointly bought a property in the city with another MP. Claimed £6,150 stamp duty, £1,406.90 solicitors’ fees and £2,914 on furniture

David Winnick claimed just £36,354 on his second homes allowance between 2004-8

Sir Nicholas Winterton and his wife Ann claimed more than £80,000 for a London flat owned by a trust controlled by their children. They have announced they will stand down at the next general election

Rosie Winterton submitted claims for “soundproofing” the bedroom of her London home and received thousands of pounds for gardening and decorating

Peter Wishart claimed £1,400 per month in rent for a second home in London. Also claimed for food but made few other claims under the second homes allowance

Mike Wood claimed just over £500 per month to live in a flat in London. Also claimed £3,421.76 for a central heating boiler, £599.99 for a television and £1,332 for a new bathroom

Phil Woolas submitted receipts including comics, nappies and women’s clothing as part of his claims for food

Shaun Woodward received £100,000 to help pay mortgage

Anthony Wright claims rent for London flat, also claimed £498 for TV, £90 for trouser press. Accepted £10,000 cash payment from owners of flat, which meant taxpayer-funded rent went up

David Wright accepted a £16,787 payment from the owners of his flat in return for giving up the right to cheap rent, then moved out. Claimed £599 for a TV but a £64.99 claim for a razor was turned down

Iain Wright and Tom Watson spent £100,000 of taxpayers’ money on the London flat they once shared

Jeremy Wright claims for flat in London. Spent £2,884 on furniture when he became an MP, including £809 for a bed and £399 for a television

Tony Wright claims for his rent in Dolphin Square complex in London, £995 for Venetian blinds, £1,630 for a new sofa and chairs and £799 for a sideboard

Derek Wyatt billed 75p for scotch eggs

Tim Yeo claimed for a pink laptop computer from John Lewis in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

George Young claimed the maximum second home allowance on his London flat for the past two years

Richard Younger-Ross spent £1,235 on four mirrors and bought ‘Don Juan’ bookcase

Source

The email is said to be addressed to the Prime Minister, who is already reeling from the announcements of four departures from his Government in the past two days.

The draft email reads: “Dear Gordon, Over the last 12 years in government, and before, you have made an enormous contribution to this country and to the Labour Party, and this is very widely acknowledged.

“However we are writing now because we believe that in the current political situation, you can best serve the Labour Party and the country by stepping down as party leader and prime minister, and so allowing the party to choose a new leader to take us into the next general election. Yours,”

No MPs have so far broken cover to claim ownership of, or support for, the email.

Under party rules, 71 of Labour’s 351 MPs are needed to mount a leadership challenge to an incumbent.

The email apparently states that its ringleaders will not publish a list of names until it reaches 50 in number, but they hope to secure “significantly more”.

It also pays tribute to Mr Brown’s “significant contribution” to the country and the Labour Party.

Meanwhile, Mr Brown is being defiant and brushing off calls to quit following the resignations.

Tory leader David Cameron taunted Mr Brown in the Commons, saying his command over his Cabinet had “simply disappeared”, and urge him to “get down to the Palace, ask for a dissolution, call an election”.

Mr Cameron accused the premier of being “in denial” in the wake of the resignation of Communities Secretary Hazel Blears and other ministerial departures.

And Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said the Government is in “total meltdown” although Mr Brown insisted he is dealing with the problems facing the country.

At Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Cameron seized on Mr Brown’s problems saying: “This morning the Communities Secretary resigned from the Cabinet. This follows yesterday’s announcement that the schools minister is standing down, the minister for the Cabinet Office is leaving and the Home Secretary is resigning.

“Why doesn’t the Prime Minister accept that his ability to command his Cabinet has simply disappeared?”

Mr Brown shrugged off the jibe and instead praised Ms Blears and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, saying: “At a time like this the House should come together to acknowledge contributions that have been made in the public interest.”

Ms Blears’ departure came hot on the heels of the resignation of Ms Smith, who confirmed she will quit in the coming reshuffle, expected within the next few days.

She had come under pressure after it was revealed she did not pay capital gains tax when selling a property on which she had claimed the parliamentary second homes allowance.

Source

There are many people in the borough who for various reasons are unable to vote in person. Those people would choose either a proxy to vote for them or vote by post.

The polling cards for residents of Hyde [of Dr. Shipman fame] in Tameside arrived – wait for it – four days after the deadline to register for a postal vote! Sneaky huh?

Voters, who were unavailable to vote on polling day in Tameside, were jamming the phone lines at Ashton-Under-Lyne town hall demanding not to be deprived of their vote. Staff told them their only option was to vote “by proxy” in the election. That is, to nominate another person to vote on their behalf.

The inept town hall staff at Tameside then did not rush to post out the proxy forms. The postal delivery service in Hyde is spasmodic at best, and mail tends to arrive typically every few days in mid afternoon rather than daily in the morning.

By the time the forms arrived (without a prepaid envelope), there was only two days before the deadline for proxy forms to be received back at Tameside Council. Your author duly posted a proxy form first class – from the sorting office in Hamnett Street. It only had to travel a few miles across town, so one would hope it might have made that journey in two days.

Polling day arrives, and your author, armed with a polling card and a photocopy of the proxy form heads to the polling station. Guess what? I am not on the list to vote as a proxy. I explained the situation about the deadlines to the staff, and what had happened. One of them decided she must call Tameside council and check it out.

I get wheeled outside and a phone passed to me with a council person on the other end of the phone. It went like this:

“You cannot vote in the election, you didn’t send the proxy form in”
“How did you establish that I didn’t send it in?”
“Well, we haven’t received it”
“That’s not quite the same thing is it? Most likely you have received it and have lost it.”
“Well, we have no record of it”
“I have a copy of it in my hand”
“You should have sent it in to us, not taken it to the polling station”
“I did send it into you. As stated already; I have merely a copy of it”
“Well we haven’t got it”
“Is that my fault?”
“So you can’t vote!”
“Is this democracy in action?”
Click – line goes dead.

It seems that this is an example of democracy in action at Tameside council. They know very well that as a rotten Labour council, representative of the ever more corrupt Labour party, nobody would be likely to vote for their candidate anyway. Why should they bother to help anyone to vote by proxy or post? A vote thwarted in this underhand way by the inept Tameside council is most likely a vote that would not be cast in their favour anyway. Why should they care? They could have thwarted hundreds of votes in a similar way. I would suggest that this is akin to vote rigging.

Tameside council are fast enough to collect the council tax – which has gone up 3.5% this year – but only empty the bins once a fortnight and have the shame of the failing Tameside Hospital (the local hospital with one of the highest mortality rates in the country) on their turf.

How many more people were denied the right to vote in Tameside today?

As a person who was intending to vote by proxy on behalf of another today, but thwarted, I can state for the record that I was instructed to place that vote for the British National Party.

Copyright on this article is open. The media can use this article – or parts of it – on condition that they give credit to this website.

Gordon Brown has apologised for the first time for the expenses abuses that have undermined public confidence in parliament.

After days of insisting that the system was at fault for MPs’ suspect second homes claims, the Prime Minister conceded that the Government and opposition parties must share the blame for the scandal that has engulfed Westminster.

“I want to apologise on behalf of politicians on behalf of all parties for what has happened in the events of the last few days,” he said in a speech to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) annual conference in Harrogate this morning.

He went on: “Just as you have the highest standards for your profession, we must show we have the highest standards for our profession.”

But the Prime Minister’s spokesman later indicated that no action would be taken against those Labour ministers who may have ‘milked the system’.

“I think the Prime Minister has seen all of the explanations from the different ministers and he is satisfied with those explanations,” the spokesman said.

Mr Brown’s apology follows the humble tone struck by the Conservative leader David Cameron after The Daily Telegraph began publishing details of the expenses claims of senior members of the shadow cabinet last night.

Michael Gove and Andrew Lansley, the shadow schools and health secretaries, “flipped” properties designated as their second homes to claim allowances for multiple properties, while Alan Duncan, the shadow leader of the House of Commons, received an official warning after attempting to claim more than £7,000 in two years.

David Willetts, the shadow universities secretary, charged for workmen to replace 25 light bulbs at his home and Oliver Letwin claimed more than £2,000 to replace a leaking pipe under a tennis court.

Demanding that his MPs account for any dubious claims, Mr Cameron said that the system could not be reformed until politicians admitted the damage they had caused to the reputation of the Commons.

“We have to acknowledge just how bad this is. The public are really angry,” he said.

“We need a big acknowledgement that we’re sorry that this happened and it needs to change. And we need to be part of that change, sorting it out so we can have confidence and the public can have confidence. This is bad for parliament and bad for our democracy.”

Speaking shortly after Mr Brown this morning, he told the RCN that elected representatives could not expect voters to act with decency and self-restraint if they failed to uphold those values themselves.

“When so many of the problems that face our country – like debt, like family breakdown, like crime – are at their heart questions of individual behaviour and personal responsibility, then it is not just morally desirable but politically essential that our representatives set a good example,” he said.

“A lack of responsibility – and a low expectation of responsibility – have led us to our battered economy, our broken society, our beleaguered public services – and our broken politics too.”

Later, commenting on colleagues Michael Gove and Andrew Lansley, Mr Cameron said there had been a change in their personal circumstances, but said they had to “explain their own positions” and then the public could make up their own minds.

“We have to be frank about saying, understanding, how angry the public are about this, explaining our own circumstances, and explaining what needs to be done to clean up the system,” he added.

When details of the tactics used by MPs to boost their secondary homes claims were first published in the Telegraph at the end of last week, Harriet Harman, the deputy leader of the Labour party, toured television and radio studios to insist that MPs were only following rules and blame the parliamentary fees office for approving their requests.

But after public anger at the taxpayer-funded excesses grew across as the weekend, MPs of all parties appear to have accepted that they misjudged the national mood.

Speaking during a visit to Holyhead School in Birmingham, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: “I can completely understand that the public is sick and tired both of what they think of our behaviour and what they think about the system.”

When asked if MPs’ expenses should be independently audited, Ms Smith said: “I have always said there needs to be independence in the system. We, as MPs, can’t and should not administer or determine the system ourselves.”

Children’s Secretary Ed Balls, who visited the Handsworth school with Ms Smith, said: “We all know this system is anachronistic.

“It’s totally out of date. It’s been there for 30 years. It’s just not right, it’s not working… the public don’t trust the expenses system.”

In his speech, Mr Brown said it was essential that MPs of all parties came together to “clean up” politics and reform the allowances system.

“We must show that, where mistakes have been made and errors have been discovered, where wrongs have to be righted, that that is done so immediately,” he said.

“We have also to try hard to show people and think hard about how a profession that, like yours, depends on trust – the most precious asset it has is trust – how that profession too can show that it is genuinely there to serve the public in all its future needs.”

Meanwhile, a senior Labour backbencher warned against any move by the Commons authorities to exempt MPs’ receipts from future disclosure under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act.

Tony Wright, the chairman of the Public Administration Committee, expressed alarm at suggestions that the future auditing of MPs’ expenses claims could be carried out by a private sector organisation which would fall outside the FoI legislation.

“If there’s any suggestion that somehow a mechanism is going to be invented to circumvent disclosure under Freedom of Information legislation, that would simply make matters worse,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.

“It is absolutely unbelievable that anybody should suggest such a thing.”

Downing Street said Mr Brown would not want to see a system of auditing MPs’ expenses claims introduced which would mean they were exempt from the Freedom of Information legislation.

“I think the Prime Minister’s view is that there needs to be tougher auditing but this should not be at the expense of transparency,” Mr Brown’s spokesman said.

This site says:  ”C’mon Gordo, it’s time to go! It’s time you money grabbing bunch of lowlifes stopped lining your own pockets with our money. You should resign immediately and all who have syphoned public money should go with you.” 

It told nursery teachers, playgroup leaders and childminders to record and report every racist incident involving children as young as three. 

These could include saying ‘Yuk’ about unfamiliar food.

Even babies should not be ignored in the hunt for racism because they can ‘recognise different people in their lives’, a new guide for nurseries and child care centres said.

The instructions for staff in charge of pre-school children in day care have been produced by the National Children’s Bureau, which receives £12million a year, mostly through taxpayer-funded organisations. 

The NCB, which describes itself as ‘an umbrella body for the children’s sector’, has long used its resources to campaign on controversial issues, for example in favour of a legal ban on smacking by parents. 

It also runs the Sex Education Forum, a campaign for more sex education in schools. 

The new 366-page guide, Young Children and Racial Justice, warned that ‘racist incidents among children in early years settings-tend to be around name-calling-casual thoughtless comments, and peer group relationships’. 

It said such incidents could include children using words like ‘blackie’, ‘Pakis’, ‘those people’ or ‘they smell’. 

Children might also ‘react negatively to a culinary tradition other than their own by saying “yuk”.’ 

Nursery staff are told: ‘No racist incident should be ignored. When there is a clear racist intent, it is necessary to be specific in condemning the action.’ 

If children ‘reveal negative attitudes the lack of censure may indicate to the child that there is nothing unacceptable about such attitudes’. 

Nurseries are encouraged to report as many racist incidents as possible to local councils. 

‘Some people think that if a large number of racist incidents are reported, this will reflect badly on the institution,’ it said. ‘In fact, the opposite is the case.’ 

The guidance said that anyone who disagrees is racist themselves. 

It also suggests cultivating the home languages of new immigrants  -  despite Government anxiety to promote the learning of English. 

It said: ‘English is now viewed as the major language of the world but this is not because it has any innate linguistic advantages  -  it is because English is the language of power in a world dominated by English-speaking peoples.’ 

Critics of the race programme for pre- school children labelled it ‘totalitarian’. 

Author and researcher on family life Patricia Morgan said: ‘Stepping in to stop severe bullying is one thing, but this is interference in the lives of children. It smacks of totalitarianism. 

‘It is regulation of private speech and thought. They intend nursery staff to step into children’s playground squabbles and then report them to the local council as race incidents. Who would ever have thought that the anti-racism crusade would go so far?’ 

Source

The clowns at the DWP forgot to promote this online however (probably too embarrassed). They created a 3D “innovation centre” but it is not advertised on the DWP website. Junior minister Jonathan Shaw fessed up to Parliament it cost £20k to build and a further £12k a year to maintain. Whats the betting all that cash went to some web designer that is an MP’s cohort? Maybe it was farmed out to some politically correct group teaching knife wielding  Albanians web design as they are pored over by a dozen or so Social Workers. 

Second Life uses a currency called Linden Dollars rather than real currency. Perhaps Gordon wants to buy up a few virtual banks while he is there? Who knows. Maybe Labour want to be at the front of the queue for wasting fantasy money in addition to real money. 

Conservative MP Nick Hurd, who has raised questions in the Commons regarding the amount of taxpayer’s money spent on Second Life, said the move was insensitive amid rising unemployment.

He added: “At a time when a million people face losing their jobs this year, it’s proof that the Government is literally living in its own fantasy world.”

A spokesperson from the department said the innovation was a virtual area for government and private companies to showcase technological innovations. (Thats political jabber for even more ways to waste tax payers money and syphon cash off to cronies.)

“We believe it could help make sharing technology more efficient and save taxpayers money as meetings, events and shows can be held online at a fraction of the cost and resources,” they said. (We think they should try Skype – its free!) 

They hope money from the private sector will help cover some of the cost. The project will be reviewed in 2011 it is claimed. By then of course, it is hoped that the good people of the UK will have booted Gordon Brown’s sorry arse to the kerb forever. 

This site is waiting to see Gordon Brown’s Second Life Avatar!

Insiders involved in the decision have broken ranks after an 18-month battle in which the Treasury has blocked attempts by The Sunday Times to make public the official advice received by Brown before he sold the gold.

They have revealed that Bank of England officials had serious misgivings over the chancellor’s determination to sell 400 tons of bullion in a series of auctions between 1999 and 2002, when the price was at a 20-year low. Since then the price has almost trebled, meaning the decision cost the taxpayer an estimated £2 billion.

This Tuesday the chancellor will face a Commons grilling over the affair as the Tories seek to undermine his reputation for economic competence.

From interviews with key Treasury, Bank of England and gold market insiders involved in the decision, The Sunday Times has established:

o The Bank of England, which has managed Britain’s gold reserves for more than 300 years, was never asked for its advice on whether Britain should sell the gold. A senior Bank of England executive said the timing of the sale was “not debated”.

o At a secret meeting with senior gold traders, Bank of England officials were warned that the proposed auctions would achieve the worst price for taxpayers. The officials are understood to have agreed with the analysis but said they were powerless to influence the Treasury.

o Several Asian countries including China are named by an insider as having bought the gold “on the cheap” from the Treasury. The Chinese may have made more than £1 billion from Brown’s botched sell-off.

Warnings over the risks of losing money from the gold sell-off are understood to be set out in internal correspondence sent by Bank of England officials to the Treasury in 1999.

Last night the Bank of England sought to distance itself from the decision to sell off the gold. In an unusual intervention, it said: “In regard to the gold sales, the Bank acted solely as agent and the decisions were taken by HM Treasury.”

Its statement casts doubt over previous assurances given by Treasury ministers and Tony Blair to parliament that the decision to sell the gold reserves was made on the “technical advice of the Bank of England”.

A senior investment bank director, present at a meeting held by the Bank of England in May 1999 to discuss the sell-off, said: “We were told this was a Brown thing and that the Bank had no say over what was going on. The officials were unhappy.”

The gold sell-off is seen in the City as Labour’s equivalent of “Black Wednesday”, when John Major’s government lost £3.3 billion in a day in its failed attempt to prop up the pound.

The Treasury insisted last night that the Bank of England “recommended auction as the best method to achieve the programme’s objectives of transparency, fairness and value for money”. It declined to comment if the Bank was consulted on whether gold should be sold, or whether alternative forms of sale were advised to maximise revenues.

George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, said: “First it was discovered that Gordon Brown ignored advice on pensions; now it is revealed that he ignored advice on gold sales and the taxpayer has lost millions. The chancellor is in danger of getting a reputation as someone who has very poor economic judgment.”

Source

Research by Anne-Marie Brady, a political scientist at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, shows that officials were briefed in depth on the Blair government’s handling of crises as they modernised their news management.

Brady, a specialist on Chinese propaganda, said that following the 2002 Sars outbreak – which was originally covered up by officials – the party set about training “a legion of government spin doctors to handle any future political crisis”.

Party officials studied Britain’s 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak and the previous year’s Phillips report on BSE, Brady wrote in the China Economic Quarterly.

“Government advisers say the model for the new approach was the Blair government’s handling of British public opinion [on those issues] in 2000-01.”

The Communist party has adopted western techniques to shape public opinion in increasingly sophisticated ways, Brady said. “The rule from 1989 was that only positive propaganda was allowed. Sars was the ultimate evidence that you can’t do that all the time,” she said.

“With foot-and-mouth, the images of burning cows on bonfires were horrific, but they were cathartic at the same time. And so the argument by people advising the government was: don’t be afraid to have negative stories some times.”

Officials were forced to adapt by China’s gradual reform process – and more recently, by the internet and mobile phones.

When the city of Tangshan was hit by an earthquake in 1976, 240,000 people died, but that toll was classified for three years – and foreign journalists were excluded for seven. Yet after last year’s Sichuan earthquake, coverage began in hours.

Last year an academic source close to the propaganda authorities told Reuters the government was encouraging state media to take the initiative in reporting unrest, so they could shape public reaction – “trying to control the news by publicising the news”. But heavy censorship remains, with tight controls on the media and the removal or blocking of internet content.

Alastair Campbell, who masterminded New Labour’s news management as director of communications, said the party had faced two full-blown domestic crises: foot-and-mouth and the fuel protests.

Asked what the Chinese may have learned from them, he said: “If you were starting from scratch, you would use basically the same principles we applied, but you would be looking to change it even more because the internet has changed things hugely.”

Source

The top-secret computer system – tied into the airlines’ ticketing network – makes judgments about travel habits and passengers’ friends and family to decide if they are a security risk.

Like something from a science-fiction film, the Home Office has designed it to spot a ‘criminal’ or terrorist before they have done anything wrong. 

Snoop centre: The 'Status Park 4' building near Heathrow monitors travellers

The building’s address is, some might say sinisterly, called Status Park 4.

But the intrusiveness of the system at the heart of Government’s so-called ‘e-Borders’ scheme has provoked such fury among civil liberties campaigners that some consider it akin to a modern-day Stasi headquarters.

All the information passengers give to travel agents, including home addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, passport details and the names of family members, is shared with an unknown number of Government agencies for ‘analysis’ and stored for up to ten years.

But even as the ‘profiling’ system goes live, its reliability is being called into question.

An internal Home Office document obtained by The Mail on Sunday reveals that during testing one ‘potential suspect’ turned out to be an airline passenger with a spinal injury flying into Britain with his nurse.

‘Suspect’ requests likely to cause innocent holidaymakers to get ‘red flags’ as potential terrorists include ordering a vegetarian meal, asking for an over-wing seat and travelling with a foreign-born husband or wife.

The system will also ‘red flag’ passengers buying a one-way ticket and making a last-minute reservation and those with a history of booking tickets and not showing up for the flights.

A previous history of travel to the Middle East, Pakistan, Afghanistan or Iran will also trigger an alarm, as will those with a record of sponsoring an immigrant from any of these countries.

Starting during the Easter holiday rush, millions of people will be checked by the new National Border Targeting Centre (NBTC).

By the end of the year the NBTC, which is recruiting 250 staff, will have been relocated to another office near Manchester Airport and will be analysing the movements of 120million UK travellers.

Initially it will target airlines but will be expanded to check passengers on ferries and trains, including some journeys within the UK.

At the heart of the system is a highly classified computer algorithm designed to pick out people to be searched, questioned by security staff or barred from flying.

An internal Home Office Border and Immigration Agency document explains how Britain’s new system will work.

Written by Tim Rymer, head of the Joint Border Operations Centre, the forerunner to the new NBTC, it explains how it will use ‘Passenger Name Record’ (PNR) information given when travellers buy a ticket.

The document, written in March last year after a trial examining 30million passengers, reveals: ‘PNR is checked against profiles of behavioural patterns which indicate risk activity.

‘Profiles are run to identify behaviour, not to identify individuals, and are based on evidence and intelligence.’

Mr Rymer revealed that the information secured from the airlines for e-Borders would then also be available to other unnamed Government departments and held for up to ten years.

He wrote: ‘E-Borders acts as a single window for carriers to provide data to Government.’

The system is bound to cause concerns about the handling of confidential personal data.

But Mr Rymer reported that he was ‘confident our use of PNR data is proportionate and complies with robust data-protection safeguards’.

Intending to show how his team double-checked the computerised suspect reports, Mr Rymer admitted: ‘Profiling identified a potential suspect; however further examination of his booking details revealed that the passenger was suffering from a spinal injury and was being escorted by a nurse.

‘In this way the PNR information enabled the passenger to be eliminated from the profile match.’

Others flagged up then eliminated as suspects included travellers with comments on their bookings including: ‘Please treat passenger with sensitivity – death in the family’ or ‘Wheelchair requested – broken leg’.

The system was originally designed to identify suspect freight shipments.

Until now international no-fly lists have been based on painstaking intelligence and people’s criminal records.

But the Border and Immigration Agency’s new ‘rule-based targeting’ system works by building up a complete picture of passengers’ travel history and the detailed information they give to airlines and travel agencies when booking a flight.

It compares these answers and requests to other government databases and also shares the information with other countries around the world. The computer then makes value judgments about whether peculiar decisions and requests fit its secret terrorist or criminal profiles.

In the United States, where the Department of Homeland Security has been running a similar system for several years, people with a poor driving record have been subjected to further checks.

The American system has also been criticised for awarding so-called ‘terrorism points’ to passengers depending on their level of ’suspicious’ travel activity.

The Home Office argues the e-Borders system will ‘transform our border control to ensure greater security, effectiveness and efficiency’.

‘To do so,’ the department says, ‘we will make full use of the latest technology to provide a way of collecting and analysing information on everyone who travels to or from the United Kingdom.’

But the UK system, and others across Europe that all share their passenger data, are facing increasing criticism.

The EU’s Home Affairs Committee is currently carrying out an inquiry examining whether the use of profiling, particularly when it focuses on particular ethnic groups, is illegal.

In searching for terrorists, and flagging people who have travelled to the Middle East or Pakistan, the system is likely to pick out a high proportion of Muslims.

In its initial report the EU committee says using this data is against EU regulations and the practice is leading to a lack of trust in law enforcement and the fear of discrimination.

It adds that it is ‘concerned [the] system providing for the collection of personal data of passengers travelling to the EU could provide a basis for profiling…on the basis of race or ethnicity’.

And the EU report continues: ‘Repeated concerns raised by the [European] Parliament in connection with racial, ethnic and behavioural profiling in the context of data protection, law-enforcement co-operation, exchange of data and intelligence, aviation and transport security, immigration and border management and anti-discrimination measures have not so far been adequately addressed.’

Source

Employment Minister Tony McNulty performed a dramatic U-turn and announced he had stopped claiming the controversial MPs’ second-home allowance after being challenged by The Mail on Sunday.

Even more astonishingly, he said that 133 MPs who, like him, live within 60 miles of Westminster should be banned from getting the £24,000-a-year handout.

Mr McNulty and his wife, chief schools inspector Christine Gilbert, have a combined annual income of a third of a million pounds and between them own two London homes worth £1.2million.

They live together in a house she owns just three miles from Westminster. Yet he has been claiming up to £14,000 a year in parliamentary expenses to help pay for the second house in Harrow where his parents live, 11 miles from the Commons.

The MP has been able to obtain the money because the house he owns is in his Harrow constituency and so qualifies him for the secondhome allowance. Initially, when Mr McNulty was approached by this newspaper on Friday he pointed out: ‘It is all within the rules.’

But later, he changed his tune. When it was put to him, ‘Do you accept it all looks very odd?’, he replied: ‘I do.’

He then compared his own unconvincing defence with that made by Nazi war criminals at the Nuremberg trials, who said they were ‘only obeying orders’.

‘It’s not against the rules – though I suppose you might say that is the Nuremberg defence,’ he observed.

He then suddenly announced that he had decided to stop claiming the allowance, which he has benefited from ever since becoming an MP in 1997. He said he had ‘reflected’ on the issue and stopped claiming the grant, officially called the Additional Costs Allowance (ACA), in January.

Asked if he had informed anyone in authority of his decision, either at the Commons or in the Labour Party, he replied: ‘No, no one.’

The only person he had told was his wife, he said. He was adamant that it was not a spur-of-the-moment decision forced on him by this newspaper’s investigation.

As if to emphasise how much he regretted his actions, Mr McNulty, who is also Minister for London and tipped to run against Boris Johnson for London Mayor in 2012, made an impromptu call for a major purge of MPs’ expenses.

His plan received a mixed response from Labour MPs who would be affected. Crawley MP Laura Moffatt said: ‘It doesn’t affect me because I don’t have a second home.’ Asked how she squared that with her claim of £61,457 between 2002 / 03 and 2006/07, she hung up.

Dagenham Labour MP Jon Cruddas was more positive. ‘This idea should be kicked around, it’s a discussion which should be had.’

He said those who live within 60 miles of the capital should be forced to commute every day like any other worker, and lose their second-home allowance. Currently 159 MPs live within that radius. Twenty-six Inner London MPs already cannot claim the ACA – worth up to £24,000 a year – and of the remaining 133, 107 do claim. Mr McNulty’s proposal could save taxpayers about £2million a year.

Mr McNulty said: ‘There are senior Shadow frontbench figures who live five miles further away from Westminster than me who claim the lot…’ before quickly adding: ‘… and that is entirely appropriate.’

Asked if he would be happy to sacrifice the £103,117 he claimed between 2002 and 2007, he said: ‘If that is the agreed view of Parliament.’

But one MP who asked not to be named, said: ‘Just because Tony McNulty has been rumbled does not give him the right to lecture those of us who need the money.’

Asked on Sky News’ Sunday Live why he was claiming expenses on a property where his parents live, Mr McNulty said: ‘I use it considerably. I work there at weekends when I am in the constituency.

‘I have said clearly that I was probably spending one or two nights a weekend there early on when I was an MP. It probably is less now.

‘But I think I can do my job more effectively by having that base in the constituency. I think I can do my ministerial job more effectively by having a place in London.’

He explained why he stopped claiming the allowance in January: ‘By Christmas, I decided – not least with the direction mortgage rates have gone in and a whole range of other factors – I reflected on it and thought I could probably do without claiming it.’

Mr McNulty said he believed there were ‘anomalies’ in the ACA system for MPs’ second homes and thought it should be looked at.

But he insisted he was not casting aspersions on the second-home claims made by 130 other MPs whose constituencies are within 60 miles of London. The ‘overwhelming’ majority of claims were entirely legitimate, he said.

Any review of the system could look at the Scottish system, under which MSPs with constituencies within commuting distance of Holyrood cannot claim second home allowances, or a flat rate pay increase for all MPs in return for giving up ACA, he suggested.

It is the latest in a series of rows over MPs’ expenses. Earlier this year, The Mail on Sunday revealed how Home Secretary Jacqui Smith claims £20,000-a-year expenses by arguing her London ‘digs’ at a house owned by her sister is her main home, not the substantial house in her Midlands constituency where she lives with her husband and young children.

Until October, Mr McNulty was Ms Smith’s deputy at the Home Office. He denied his change of heart had anything to do with widespread condemnation of her conduct.

This is how Mr McNulty has cashed in on the ACA. Shortly after becoming Harrow East MP in 1997, he bought a house in Harrow, which is now worth an estimated £300,000.

He divorced his first wife, fellow Labour activist Gillian Travers and moved into the house with his parents, James and Eileen. By 2001, he had moved to Hammersmith to live with former headteacher Christine Gilbert. Ms Gilbert, also a divorcee, had bought thehouse – now worth about £900,000 –in 1994.

The couple married in September 2002. On their wedding certificate, both gave their address as the Hammersmith house, although in a Commons debate on data protection in 2005, Mr McNulty appeared to suggest his main home was in Harrow.

‘I have no copyright on “Tony McNulty”.’ he said. ‘I have no copyright on November 3, 1958 [his birthday]. I have no copyright on . . . [he then gave the Harrow address].’

In addition, he is on the electoral register in Harrow, not Hammersmith, where his wife is registered.

MPs can claim ACA on the mortgage interest payments on a second home – which means those members who have paid off their mortgage can receive nothing.

According to Land Registry documents, Ms Gilbert did not have a mortgage on the property when they moved in together, but Mr McNulty disputed this and insisted Ms Gilbert did have a mortgage at the time.

However, after they set up home together, both took out mortgages on their respective homes. Land Registry records show Ms Gilbert took out a loan on the Hammersmith property with the Bank of Scotland later in 2001, while Mr McNulty took out a fresh loan on his Harrow house with the same bank in 2003.

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