Calls for transparency as MPs submit £115,000 worth of illegitimate expenses

MPs have submitted more than £115,000 worth of illegitimate expense claims since the introduction of tough new rules designed to clean-up the Commons, it was revealed today.

A list of 1,574 claims, rejected by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) in the space of five months, shows that politicians have attempted to claim back money for their mortgage repayments, first-class travel and excessive hospitality.

The document, obtained by The Times newspaper, which lists a total of rejected claims worth £116,359, also reveals how parliamentarians submitted duplicate claims and did not provide suitable documentary evidence to back up their claims.

One MP was refused £338 for a shredder, while another tried to claim £1,057 for advertising. A third also attempted to claw back £1,085 for "contingencies".

All claims, which were submitted between May and September this year, were refused by Ipsa - the body set up to administer MPs expense claims.

The unsuccessful claims amounted to 7% of the total submitted by MPs during the period.

The identity of the MPs who wrongly claimed the items will remain secret following an agreement made in the summer with the independent watchdog and receipts will also not be published with overall claims.

Labour MP John Mann, who criticised the shortcomings of the old expenses system, said: "We've ended up in the worst of all possible worlds where we have a body that doesn't particularly do what it was supposed to do.

"Everything should be out in the open. The more transparency the better. The problem occurs when you try to hide things away. If you want to rebuild confidence it has to be be totally transparent. It also means publishing receipts."