Expense claims that led to MPs' downfall published

DETAILS of MPs' expenses claims were finally published by the House of Commons today - more than a year after the High Court ordered they be revealed and weeks after they were leaked to a newspaper.

Revelations about the claims have forced a series of MPs to announce their resignations in the past month, including Junior Treasury minister Kitty Ussher last night.

Today's publication covers printed documents and receipts relating to MPs' claims between 2004/05 and 2007/08 for a series of parliamentary allowances, but with many personal details redacted, or edited.

These include claims under the £24,000-a-year Additional Costs Allowance, which reimburses MPs for the cost of maintaining a second home while serving at Westminster; the £22,000 Incidental Expenses Provision, which pays for running an office; and the £10,400 Communica-tions Allowance, which covers the cost of newsletters and websites to inform constituents about their activities.

The documents published today feature large blacked out areas where it is not always clear what has been obscured, as well as the names and details of people and companies to whom expenses payments were made, and correspondence between MPs and the Commons Fees Office.

Liberal Democrat treasury spokesman Vince Cable said the heavily censored information was "compromised" and "less effective than it should be". He said: "Had it not been for the Daily Telegraph a lot of this stuff would not have come out."

Mr Cable added: "Some personal data relating to addresses has been suppressed and had that information not been made available they would never have been able to identify the flipping of homes and the avoidance of Capital Gains Tax."

In travel claims, details of the start and end of the journeys are redacted.

In total there are more than one million documents available for public perusal, contained in PDF files accessible via the Parliament.uk website.

But the redactions mean it is impossible to tell where, for example, Luton South MP Margaret Moran's second home was.

She has announced her retirement from Parliament after criticism over spending £22,500 treating dry rot at a property in Southampton, more than 100 miles from her constituency. Floating duck island Husband's adult films Moat for the house Avoided tax on home

Meanwhile former minister Hazel Blears is facing a make-or-break meeting with party activists tonight who will vote on whether to deselect her as their Labour candidate at the next election.

Ms Blears, already damaged by the expenses scandal, angered party workers by walking out of the Cabinet on the eve of the local elections.

She voluntarily paid £13,000 in tax last month after it emerged she had "dual declared" to avoid capital gains on a taxpayer-funded home.

More revelations about Ms Blears' expenses included her reportedly making at least £80,000 on the sale of two taxpayer-subsidised properties without paying capital gains tax.

Tory ex Cabinet Minister Douglas Hogg included with his expenses claims the cost of having his moat cleared, piano tuned and stable lights fixed at his country manor house.

Among the expenditure was nearly £18,000 paid to his gardener and a separate bill of almost £1000 to have the lawn mowed regularly.

He also paid £2115 for work on his moat and £93.41 for tongs.

Veteran Tory MP Sir Peter Viggers claimed £1645 for a floating "duck island" for his pond was given a quit-or-be-expelled ultimatum by party leader David Cameron after his second home gardening bills were published. The Gosport MP will quit at the next General Election and pay back a sum believed to be in five figures after his claims were ruled excessive by a Tory panel.

Former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith was arguably the highest profile casualty, over claims for her second home and the hugely embarrassing charge for soft porn movies watched by her husband.

She insisted she'd done nothing wrong in claiming at least £116,000 of the Commons Second Home Allowance on her constituency home in Redditch, where her family live, by designating her sister's house in south-east London as her main home. Devine could trigger vote Jim Devine is deciding what his next move will be THE political earthquake of the MPs' expenses scandal continued to have aftershocks last night with suggestions that Labour's Jim Devine might force a by-election in Livingston.

The backbencher, who was cut loose by the Labour leadership because of queries over his expenses claims, is thought to be mulling over his options.

The 56-year-old politician, who is "devastated" by the party's decision to deselect him and believes he has been "hung out to dry", was unavailable for comment last night.

He fell foul of Labour's "star chamber" because of outstanding questions over receipts of £2157 for electrical work from a company that does not exist and of £2326 for 66 metres of shelving, said to have been provided by the landlord of his local pub. Mr Devine denied any wrongdoing.

If the Livingston MP were to force a by-election, it would be the third caused by the fall-out from the expenses scandal. The majority is only 2680 and Labour will be challenged hard by the SNP.

Last night, Labour sources claimed the date for the Glasgow North East by-election was likely to be August 27.

The governing party is said to have been buoyed by having polled 2000 more votes than the Nationalists in the recent Europoll in the area.

It also feels the current local controversy of school closures will not be so high because by then the schools would have returned after the summer holidays.

The other by-election due is in Norwich North, the seat of Labour's Ian Gibson. Minister quits over tax 'dodge'

A TREASURY minister quit the Government last night after allegations she avoided paying up to £17,000 in capital gains tax by "flipping" her second home.

Kitty Ussher insisted she had done nothing wrong, but said she was quitting as Exchequer Secretary to avoid causing "embarrassment" to Gordon Brown and his Government.

The Daily Telegraph published details of letters between Ms Ussher and her accountant, suggesting she re-designated a property in her Burnley constituency as her main home for one month before selling it in 2007, with the result that she did not have to pay capital gains tax at 40% on the profits.

Ms Ussher had previously named her home in south London as her main residence. Martin launches attack on leaders

MICHAEL MARTIN hit out at party leaders over the expenses scandal which led to him becoming the first Commons Speaker to be forced out in more than 300 years.

In his farewell speech, Mr Martin said it was "deeply disappointing" that MPs did not vote to change the allowances system when they had the chance last year.

He said: "I wish that party leaders would have shown then some of the leadership that they have shown now."

The crisis, revealed after details were leaked to the Daily Telegraph, had caused an "understandable loss of public trust and confidence in us all" and he had seen "nothing like it" in his 30 years as an MP.

Following his last Prime Minister's questions time, the MP for Glasgow North East said: "Let me say to the men and women of this country - I am sorry."

His speech, which preceded tributes from party leaders, received a 30-second bout of applause from across the House. Who ate all the pies? Charles Clarke did!

FORMER Home Secretary Charles Clarke is among more than 30 MPs who claimed the maximum £400 allowance for food every month last year.

The claims revealed appetites for snacks including Peperami sausages, Pot Noodles, pork pies, jellied eels and Farley's rusks.

It also showed that many MPs billed the taxpayer for meals when the Commons was not sitting.

The amount spent on food by 646 MPs in 2007-08 totalled £1.197million - an average of £154 a month per MP. MP 'paid daughter under assumed name'

A LABOUR MP forced to announce he will step down over a claim for £13,000 interest on a "phantom mortgage" also used his parliamentary expenses to pay his daughter for work under an assumed name, it was reported today.

David Chaytor, MP for Bury North, claimed almost £5000 on his office allowances for research work done by "Sarah Rastrick", whose address and mobile phone number matched those of his 27-year-old daughter, Sarah Chaytor.