Meet the redhead who FINALLY forced MPs to publish their expenses

But yesterday the freedom of information campaigner was celebrating victory after the High Court ruled that MPs must be more open about a £12million a year housing perk.

The verdict means that Mr Martin has squandered nearly £200,000 of taxpayers' cash in a failed attempt to keep the accounts secret.

The High Court ruled that a full breakdown of all MPs claims and receipts must be published within a week.

MPs' addresses must also be released despite security fears because, judges said, many were already in the public domain and "not very private at all".

At stake was "public confidence in our system at its very pinnacle, the House of Commons itself", they said.

Miss Brooke and other rightto-know campaigners greeted the verdict with delight and attacked the decision by Mr Martin to fight the case.

Miss Brooke said: "This ruling makes clear that in a democracy it is the people who are the masters and politicians must be directly accountable to them.

"What's disappointing is that it took three years of concerted effort to counter the relentless opposition from the House of Commons Commission and Speaker Michael Martin, who used taxpayers' money throughout to block the very information needed for an informed electorate.

"By their secrecy, these officials have severely damaged public trust in Parliament."

Miss Brooke, who has written books on freedom of information issues, added: "It is shaming that I have had to fight so hard to get this basic level of accountability. Every taxpayer wants to know how their money is being spent."

Former MP Martin Bell said: "What a waste of public money that was. This further weakens the Speaker's position."

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, called the verdict a "victory for taxpayers and democracy".

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Secretive: Speaker Michael Martin faces accusations he has squandered taxpayers' money on keeping expenses secret

Lib-Dem MP Norman Baker, who has campaigned for greater transparency of Parliamentary allowances and expenses, said there should be no appeal.

"It is wrong to waste further taxpayers' money," he said.

In February, the Commons authorities were ordered to publish a detailed breakdown of how 14 MPs and former MPs, including Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron, spent their £23,000-a-year additional costs allowance.

The money is used to maintain second homes and to cover costs of staying away while on Parliamentary duties.

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MPs can furnish properties with topofthe-range goods from the so-called "John Lewis list".

Partial publication last month revealed that taxpayers funded £21,000-a-year mortgage costs for Mr Cameron and paid for TV licences for both Mr Brown and Mr Blair.

The Commons authorities - led by the Speaker - tried to block release of the full list of receipts and invoices to support claims on the grounds it was an invasion of privacy.

In yesterday's judgment, Sir Igor Judge, Lord Justice Latham and Mr Justice Blake said: "We are not here dealing with idle gossip, or public curiosity about what in truth are trivialities.

"The expenditure of public money through the payment of MPs' salaries and allowances is a matter of direct and reasonable interest to taxpayers."

Mr Martin, as chairman of the Members' Estimates Committee, has until Tuesday afternoon to appeal and to submit outline arguments.

If the Speaker decides against such a move, or judges rule there are no grounds for appeal, details must be published before 4pm next Friday.

Earlier this week Mr Martin was cleared over spending taxpayers' money on taxis for his wife to go shopping.