Last year Epsom MP Chris Grayling claimed more than £150,000 in expenses of which £15,332 was for his second home allowance.

Most of the cash went to pay his office staff and to buy office equipment and stationery.

But he spent £1,725 on a new bed, mattress, bedside table and accessories for his second home and bought new bedlinen to go with it.

But all the money spent on furniture for his Westminster flat has been repaid after he decided to relinquish his second home after controversy about his need for a flat in London when his main home is in Ashtead.

Most details of MPs’ expenses are laid out in tedious detail on the parliamentary website - it is possible to count up how many ink cartridges have been bought, how many cartons of staples and pens used but every now and again there is a glimpse of what might be a fascinating snippet where most of the detail has been blacked out.

Mr Grayling claimed for £423 worth of floor covering but the estimate is covered with black ink so whether it is for lino, laminate, carpeting or something more exotic it is impossible to tell.

Intimate details of plumbing problems when elderly pipework gave way at his flat are revealed from his expense claims but most of the details of his expenses have already been published and there seemed to be no major new surprises in the latest revelations.

Mr Grayling, as well as writing about his expenses in last week’s Epsom Guardian has also given a detailed explanation on his website.

He explained his claims for his flat over the years.

“The repairs followed a serious failure in the old-style iron pipes in the hot water system, which leaked into the flat downstairs twice, and the plumbing had to be replaced. I was also advised that the electrical systems did not meet new safety standards and should be replaced. Since both bathroom and kitchen units were elderly, and would have had to be taken out to do the work, I replaced both at the same time.

“You will see from the receipts that the total cost for the replacement work came to about £12,000. This was approved by the Fees Office at the time.

“I also bought some additional furnishings for the flat since 2004.

All of this was originally done with a view to keeping and using the flat for many years. It should now have been in good shape for a long time.

However as a result of recent changes to the rules and the parliamentary expenses issue, I took a voluntary decision to give up claiming the allowance immediately, to sell the flat and to repay any profit made from its sale to the taxpayer.

“In addition, since my use of the allowance has now come to an end, I have also bought back from the Fees Office the furnishings purchased in recent years. Since these will now no longer be used for purposes related to my job, I do not think it is right to leave the taxpayer paying for them.”

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