THE House of Commons has decided to censor some of the most important details of MPs’ expenses claims due to be published this summer.

Among the information being blanked out are the names of hotels on trips, the destinations of taxis, names of shops and any correspondence with parliamentary officials.

The extent of the cuts has surprised some MPs who favour greater disclosure. Ben Wallace, the Tory backbencher who was the first member to publish full details of his claims, said: “It’s just ridiculous. They sent me details of a taxi journey I had made from Euston station to parliament and they had redacted the details of the journey.

“They have also removed the names of some suppliers I have bought goods from. I have written to them saying there is no reason the public can’t be given this information.”

The Commons fees office has told members that the only details of their expenses to be published will be the date of the claim, what was claimed for and the identity of suppliers of office goods.

It means that MPs who have bought costly or extravagant items for their homes will not have to identify where they bought them. In addition, any correspondence with officials about the legitimacy of claims will also be censored.

In the febrile atmosphere at the House of Commons it was reported last week that some backbench MPs were on “suicide watch” because of concerns over what the expenses might show. It was rumoured that two MPs were particularly fearful as they had allegedly had extramarital affairs with other members, which would be exposed by double claims for hotel rooms.

MPs are now likely to be told that they are allowed to delete details of hotel stays if the names of the hotels have not been blanked out by officials.

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