Streatham MP Keith Hill has increased his spending on taxis by hundreds of pounds in the past four years, his expenses claims show.

Mr Hill, who is standing down at the next election, has gone from spending nothing on cabs in 2004/5 to splashing £822 on journeys in 2007/8.

His taxi bills, picked up by the taxpayer as part of his yearly expenses, published online for the first time last week, went from £218 in 2005/6, to £633 in 2006/7.

Mr Hill, 65, a former transport minister, said the taxi expenditure was to take him home from Westminster after late night votes.

He almost always travelled by bus or train, he said, but as he had gotten older, tiredness meant he did not want to travel home from parliament on public transport after 10.30pm.

“I think you will find that my travel bill, because I do not have a personal driver, is still lower than almost any other MP including neighbouring MPs in south London," he added.

“I will leave my constituents to judge whether that much spending on taxis is an inappropriate use of public funds.”

Dulwich and West Norwood MP Tessa Jowell has also defended spending hundreds of pounds over the past 17 years on accountancy fees to have her expenses checked for tax purposes, even though her husband, who she split from in 2006, is a tax lawyer.

Mrs Jowell spent more than £2,000 from 2004/5 to 2007/8, but has said it was an approved cost in the members’ allowances handbook.

She said: “Parliamentary expenses that I use to run my office and serve my constituents form part of my income for tax purposes. So, as with any business account, it is important to ensure that they are kept in order.

“I have paid all tax due on the accountancy advice I have received. It was therefore treated in my tax returns as a fully taxable item."

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