£1.39 - Lock 'n’ Lock plastic food container claimed by grey-haired Tory frontbencher.

£1.28 - Pringles, two packs, bought by a peckish young Labour MP on a trip to Tesco.

£315 - bill for sanding down floorboards in bathroom of a Tory MP’s country cottage and applying five coats of specialist varnish.

£2,470 - annual bill for elderly couple to clean the home of a cigar-smoking Tory MP.

46p - Rich Tea biscuits, claimed by up-and-coming Labour minister on a supermarket receipt.

£1.79 - vine tomatoes, claimed by female Tory MP from a Sainsbury’s in Surrey.

£279.99 - Hotpoint larder fridge bought at Comet by veteran female Labour MP.

£2.99 - Sanni hand towel, Ikea, claimed by ruddy-faced Tory for his London flat.

£709 - laptop computer which young Lib Dem MP claimed for his home in the shires, only to be refused.

68p - Branston Pickle, claimed by long-serving Labour backbencher on a Sainsbury’s receipt.

£1.09 - hot cross buns, Marks & Spencer, claimed by curly-haired Labour backbencher.

30p - loose bag of carrots claimed by Labour front-bencher from Tesco’s in 2004.

£199.99 - Sony LCD TV, bought by Scottish Labour MP for his “bedroom” at his London flat.

£971.28 - three-seater sofabed in Toasty Flax fabric, Sofa Workshop, claimed by far-left Labour backbencher.

£31.80 - four breakfast knives, Peter Jones, Sloane Square, bought by member of David Cameron’s inner circle.

£5,700 - cost of portico built onto the constituency home of prominent Tory backbencher.

£2.50 - wine fizz keeper, claimed by London-based Labour backbencher for his second home.

Douglas Alexander claimed £5,183 for storm windows and £3,868 for storm doors.

David Miliband claimed almost £200 for a pram but was turned down by the Commons authorities.

Margaret Beckett's £600 claim for hanging baskets and other items for her garden was turned down.

Gordon Brown used his expenses to pay for some Noah's Ark blinds.

Andy Burnham tried to claim back £19.99 for an Ikea bathrobe.

Hazel Blears claimed for a stay in the luxury Zetter boutique hotel in Clerkenwell.

Geoff Hoon bought two televisions using taxpayers' money.

£320,000 profit made by a Conservative MP on a London flat he sold 27 months after buying it with the help of £15,875 in stamp duty and purchase costs, with another £14,462 in mortgage interest repayments claimed on expenses.

480 - number of binliners claimed by a Tory back bencher at a cost of £52.89p.

£3.69 - two-pack of Duracell batteries claimed by former Liberal Democrat front bencher.

75p - small stockinette dishcloth claimed by a member of the Shadow Cabinet.

£49.99 - coffee maker claimed by outgoing Labour MP.

£1.99 - raspberry smoothie, Marks and Spencer, claimed by well-known Labour backbencher.

£700 claimed by a Midlands-based female Labour MP for a Laura Ashley armchair, reduced to £395 by the fees office because it exceeded the maximum allowed on the “John Lewis list”.

£1,055 amount which a veteran Labour MP had docked from his expenses claim after an eagle-eyed accountant noticed that his gas bill was actually in credit.

£1,750 total cost of bedroom furniture delivered to the Yorkshire home of a Labour backbencher, who claimed it was actually for his London flat. Included a bed, mattress, wardrobe, two bedside tables and a combination chest.

£4,800 claimed back for food in a single year by one portly Labour MP (the maximum allowable under the second homes allowance).

£6,000 property agent’s finder’s fee which a Scottish Labour MP tried to claim when he moved house in 2005, only to be told he would have to pay it himself.

£8,000 worth of bookshelves bought at the taxpayers’ expense by a wealthy, outgoing Labour MP for his country manor house as part of his “winding up” expenses.

£8,865 cost of Bang & Olufsen television which one of Labour’s most long-standing MPs tried to claim for, only to be told the maximum allowed was £750.

£14,000 cost of a wet room claimed by a Northern-based Labour MP for his London flat.

Paul Murphy submitted a £3,500 plumbing bill because his water was too hot.

John Prescott used his allowance to install mock Tudor beams on the front of his home.

And Jack Straw admitted he sometimes didn't know exactly what he was claiming for. 'Accountancy does not appear to be my strongest suit,' he said.

£620: Chandelier installation, charged by Tory grandee at his sprawling country estate.

£176: Scatter cushions, bought by Lib Dem patrician in 2006.

£199: Pure digital radio, claimed by labour backbencher in 2006.

£159: Panasonic DVD player, claimed by Northern Ireland-based MP shortly after being elected.

£3,100: Sony 40" LCD TV, bought by a Labour backbencher who was only given £750 towards it by the parliamentary fees office.

£99.99: Flokati lambswool rug, from John Lewis, claimed by dark-haired Lib Dem MP.

£575: Underfloor heating, claimed in the shower room of one of Labour's longest-serving MPs.

24 silk-covered cushions bought by Keith Vaz for £484 in 2007.

26p for a wooden spoon claimed by female Labour backbencher.

£30 cost of Sky Sports subscription, with “family pack”, claimed by a prominent LibDem MP.

40p amount a Tory frontbencher’s claim was increased by because he had added up his claim wrongly.

50 per cent discount claimed by Jack Straw on his council tax while he was claiming back the full amount on his expenses (he later paid back the extra money).

52p for jar of piccalilli claimed by veteran Labour backbencher.

75p: Bath sponges, 75p for two, bought by a former Labour Cabinet minister at Woolworths in 2008.

Chimneys swept at the country home of a wealthy former Conservative minister, at a cost of £145, with an extra £45 to remove two Jackdaws’ nests.

Homes owned by Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward while he was claiming maximum allowable second homes allowance on a £1.35m London flat.

Sachets of mulled wine claimed by a Conservative backbencher at a total cost of £3.

93p cost of packet of iced gem biscuits claimed by Labour frontbencher.

£1,392: Larder fridge, with built-in espresso maker, bought by grey-haired Tory MP.

£1.55: Sainsbury's supersoft loo roll, four pack, bought by grey-haired Tory MP

£10: Bodum milk frother, from Heals, claimed by northern-based Tory backbencher in 2008.

£400: Leather headboard, bought from John Lewis by a Conservative backbencher for his home in the shires.

£39.92: Lavatory seat and mat, bought from a B&Q in Leeds by a Labour backbencher in 2006.

£700: Garden bench, claimed by a Labour MP for his Midlands constituency in 2005.

£330: Shed, claimed by a brainy Tory MP for his London home.

£12.99: Garden hose, claimed by a member of the shadow cabinet in 2008.

£414.98: Servicing of Westwood ride-on tractor mower, charged by wealthy Tory MP for grand constituency.

Ladies' blouse bought by Phil Woolas at a cost of £15

Televisions claimed on the same receipt by a Northern Ireland MP at a total cost of £2,278 shortly after he was elected in 2005 .

Beds bought in the space of nine months between October 2005 and June 2006 by a female Labour backbencher at a total cost of £1,917.94p.


£120: Barbecue set, bought by Labour minister for his second-floor flat in London.

Bedside shelves bought by a patrician LibDem MP at a cost of £1,400.

Coat hangers bought by a female Conservative MP from Peter Jones, costing a total of £4.

£10 for a John Lewis spotlamp claimed by a Labour junior minister.

£3.99 cost of mousetrap claimed by one Conservative backbencher.

£20 claimed every month for “cleaning products” by a Labour backbencher who never submitted receipts for them.

23p for a lemon claimed by a northern-based Labour backbencher.

£64 cost of an electric razor claimed by a LibDem frontbencher, which was turned down because personal items are not allowed.

£105 charged by a Tory frontbencher for having his septic tank emptied.

£230.17 claimed for food by one home counties-based Tory backbencher in February 2007, the exact amount, to the penny, he had left available to him in allowances for that year.

£598.59 cost of servicing ride-on lawnmower claimed by wealthy Tory frontbencher.

£4 - claim for wax polish submitted by Tory backbencher based on the South coast.

£110 duvet - from Peter Jones in Sloane Square, claimed by elderly Liberal Democrat MP.

£14,073.43 - mortgage interest payments for just three months which one veteran Tory tried to claim (he received £9,442).

£275 - Afghan carpet bought by prominent Labour MP at Afghan Action in Bethnal Green.