Conway slashed secretary's pay as he showered cash on his sons

Constituency secretary Lisa Rayson was told by the senior MP that he could not afford to pay her £15,000 wages because money was tight.

Yet weeks before her salary was slashed in June last year, Mr Conway gave his son Freddie a 15 per cent bonus of £1,765 - for doing virtually nothing - according to documents obtained by the Daily Mail.

Scroll down for more...

And three months later, the Old Bexley and Sidcup MP gave an £11,000-a-year research assistant job to Michel Pratte, 23, close friend of his elder son Henry.

Today the Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin blocked publication of a list of MPs expenses, despite calls by Gordon Brown and Jack Straw for 'greater transparency' in how MPs spend their expenses.

Friends say that Miss Rayson, 34, a single mother of three who lives in a council house in Bexleyheath, is now forced to claim benefits to support her income while the Conway boys and Mr Pratte spend their nights partying and downing champagne shots in London's Mahiki club.

Miss Rayson has handled the MP's constituency work since joining his office in March 2002 and is said to be the hardest-working member of his staff - but faces losing her job after he announced he was stepping down at the next election.

Her friend Peter Moore, told the Mail: "Mr Conway said he had to halve her wages because money was tight. She is a single parent forced to live on the same amount of money the Conway sons would spend in one night on champagne.

"Now she faces losing her job. He didn't even tell her he was standing down and we only found out when I heard it on the news."

Documents show that for 35 hours a week, Miss Rayson's pay rose from £13,500 in 2002 to £15,750 in December 2006 before it was halved six months later.

By contrast, Henry, 25, received more than £10,000 a year from his father for 18 hours a week, and substantial bonuses and overtime.

Freddie, 22, received £11,773.05 in salary, plus four bonuses over three years of £2,000, £5,000, £1,300 and £1,765.94.

This is despite the fact that the pair were at university at the time and no trace can be found of any work for their father.

Michel Pratte began work at the Commons last September. The 6ft, tanned Canadian was paid £11,500 from public funds for 17 1/2 hours a week while also studying for a post-graduate qualification at the London School of Economics.

Yesterday MPs agreed to suspend Derek Conway for ten days and make him repay up to £13,161, in line with recommendations by the Standards and Privileges Committee.

Scroll down for more...

Former minister Frank Field said the committee should review whether its punishments are "adequate".

He added: "If this example of what I would see as embezzlement had occurred in the (Commons) refreshment department on this scale, we would have expected that person to leave the employment of this establishment on that day.

"I believe that we should treat ourselves in a similar manner to how other people employed by this House are treated."

The Prime Minister backed calls from Justice Secretary Jack Straw that there should be more openness with the public about where MPs' allowances are spent. But Mr Brown stopped short of backing specific proposals to name all MPs' staff.

Scotland Yard is considering whether to launch a police investigation into Mr Conway's affairs.

The MP, who looked shattered as he left his Belgravia home yesterday, was not present for the suspension debate. Son Henry - who recently held a party night named 'F*** off I'm Rich' - was planning to spend Thursday night as usual at the Mahiki club.