New pressure on Caroline Spelman to resign over 'nannygate' expenses row

Caroline Spelman was fighting to survive as Tory chairman last night after it emerged that the party leadership first heard complaints about her behaviour nine years ago.

Concerns about her expenses were raised with the Chief Whip by Mrs Spelman's Westminster secretary in 1999.

And there were claims that Tory MPs have approached the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Michael Spicer, to demand her resignation.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is already investigating allegations that she broke Commons rules by using her taxpayer-funded allowances to pay her nanny a decade ago.

But last night's revelation that the original complaint against her behaviour came from a respected Westminster secretary who is married to a Tory MP turned up the pressure.

Sally Hammond, whose husband Stephen is a frontbencher, raised doubts about Mrs Spelman's expenses while working for her part-time in 1999.

According to the BBC, Mrs Hammond was 'shocked' to discover just how she much was paying her nanny Tina Hayes.

Miss Hayes was employed by Mrs Spelman when she became an MP in 1997 to look after her children and do secretarial work.

The BBC alleged that Mrs Hammond found Ms Hayes did little or no secretarial work to justify payments amounting to £25,000.

According to the report, Mrs Hammond's concerns were raised with Chief Whip James Arbuthnot who ordered the arrangement stopped.

The revelation will prompt questions over whether David Cameron was told about the complaint when Mrs Spelman's arrangements came to light recently.

A Tory spokesman said Mrs Spelman was co-operating fully with the standards inquiry.