Details of expenses claims made by Merton’s MPs have been published today.

The documents, published by the Government, reveal some of the claims made by MPs in the last four years.

Mitcham and Morden MP Siobahn Mcdonagh also revealed she has charged taxpayers for tax advice from the husband of a fellow Labour politician in the past - a decision she said was justified as he is a fully qualified accountant.

The expenses forms show Wimbledon MP and shadow transport minister Stephen Hammond charged the taxpayer £566.90 for taxi trips in the last financial year.

He also charged taxpayers for a subscription to politics and lifestyle magazine The Spectator.

He said using taxis was necessary because of his high workload and attendance at meetings and conferences.

He claimed the subscription to the Spectator was necessary for his parliamentary work, and described the publication as a “trade magazine”.

Last year Ms McDonagh claimed £2,250 in petty cash which she said was used to cover the cost of expenses including stationery and venue hire for coffee mornings where she met constituents.

The claims of £250 a month were the limit of those allowed under parliamentary rules - Ms McDonagh said her constituency activities actually cost more than that, and she met the other costs out of her own pocket.

Both MPs said they were good value for their constituents, and were committed to openness and transparency. Mr Hammond has promised to publish an ‘easy to understand’ guide to his expenses for constituents on his website in the next few days.

Today (Thursday) Ms McDonagh also revealed that she has taken professional advice on tax from accountant Dennis Bates, the husband of former cabinet minister Meg Munn.

Last month it was revealed that Mr Bates had given personal tax advice to Labour ministers including Ed Miliband.

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