No Tory action on MP’s £100k claims

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David Wilshire, 66, set up the business with his girlfriend and then paid it with his Commons allowances for office assistance and other services.

Mr Wilshire, the MP for Spelthorne, Surrey, admits that he and his partner Ann Palmer were the sole owners of Moorlands Research Services, which was not a registered company. For three years between 2005 and 2008, Mr Wilshire paid up to £3,250 a month into it. Along with extra invoices submitted, the total paid was £105,500.

Parliamentary expenses rules forbid MPs from entering into arrangements that "may give rise to an accusation" of profiteering from taxpayers' money. According to the Daily Telegraph, parliamentary officials did not check how the money was spent and Mr Wilshire did not provide a breakdown.

But Mr Wilshire last night referred himself to the parliamentary Standards Commissioner, John Lyon, who will mount a formal inquiry into the arrangement. This is likely to take several months.

Although Mr Cameron has set up a scrutiny panel to investigate controversial or excessive expenses claims made by any Conservative MP, his spokesman said that it would be left to Mr Lyons to investigate.

"He has referred himself to the Commissioner John Lyon, and that process has to be gone through," said the Tory leader's spokesman.

Mr Wilshire today said: "I am deeply hurt by the way in which the Daily Telegraph has reported on my expenses and disappointed that it has not published all of my response to their enquiries.

"My constituents are rightly entitled to the truth about these allegations. I have therefore written to the Commissioner for Standards asking him to conduct an inquiry.

"Until I have had an opportunity to take his advice, I think it best if I say nothing further."

Mr Wilshire's claims were made through office allowances and so have not been examined as part of Sir Thomas Legg's review into second home expenses.

Meanwhile, MPs accused of milking their expenses are planning to quit Parliament at the next election to avoid being forced to pay the money back. There are 108 MPs who have already announced they will step down at the election.