Senior Tories threatened | Speaker turns on MPs | David Aaronovitch: pay for democracy | Rachel Sylvester: they're sorry now | Public is against Labour | Members tot up claims | Graphic: Times poll | Graphic: what MPs earn

Voters are united in revulsion over the disclosures on MPs’ expenses and have turned against both main parties, a Populus poll for The Times finds today.

The poll, taken between Friday and Sunday, suggests a sharp drop in support for Labour and the Conservatives, with the Liberal Democrats and smaller parties, including the British National Party, benefiting.

An overwhelming majority of people believe that MPs are self-serving, out of touch and guilty of abuse.

The findings follow a public apology from Gordon Brown on behalf of all parties and a row in the Commons involving the Speaker as tensions in Westminster reached breaking point.

The House of Commons Commission agreed last night to bring forward the official publication of MPs’ claims by a month to June. It also said that efforts to find the source of the leaked expenses had to intensify because of fears that confidential details about MPs might be passed to criminals.

The poll was carried out after the first stories about expense claims by Labour ministers and MPs but before disclosures about senior Tories.

David Cameron, the Conservative leader, was said to be “appalled” last night at a string of fresh disclosures by The Daily Telegraph about his backbench MPs.

Among those embarrassed by the latest revelations was James Arbuthnot, a former chief whip, who last night apologised after claiming £1,471 in a year for swimming pool maintenance, gardening and fuel. Sir Michael Spicer, the party’s most senior backbench MP, claimed £5,650 towards gardening, including “hedge cutting . . . helipad”. Sir Michael said last night that the helipad was a “family joke”.

Douglas Hogg, a former Agriculture Secretary, denied claiming £2,000 to clear a moat on his estate.

Mr Cameron is believed to be considering disciplinary action against some of those named, including suspension of the party whip. Frontbenchers considered to have behaved improperly could lose their jobs.

Scotland Yard confirmed that it was looking into allegations of misuse of expenses against six MPs, including Geoff Hoon, the Transport Secretary, and Alistair Darling, the Chancellor. It has already decided not to act against Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary.

The poll shows exceptionally high levels of agreement that “all the parties are as bad as each other” in abusing the system of expenses and allowances (backed by 86 per cent), and that the way MPs have acted confirms “how self-serving and out of touch most are” (85 per cent).

Four in five (79 per cent) also agree that, even if allowed, “if MPs had any integrity they would never have claimed for the cost of many things they did claim for, such as furnishings, cleaners and trivial household items”. A similar proportion said that the MPs’ defence that their claims were allowed under the rules did not wash.

Support for Labour has fallen by 4 points since early April to 26 per cent, just above its low last summer. The Tories are also down 4 at 39 per cent.

The Liberal Democrats are the main beneficiaries, up 4 points to 22 per cent, their highest position for nearly four years. Other parties are also 4 points up at 13 per cent. This is mainly spread between the nationalist parties, the BNP, UKIP and the Greens. The figures point to bad results for Labour in the local and European elections on June 4.

Half of people think that the departure of Mr Brown as Prime Minister would not improve Labour’s prospects. Neither would his replacement by Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary,

Mr Brown told the Royal College of Nursing yesterday: “I want to apologise on behalf of politicians, on behalf of all parties, for what has happened in the events of the last few days . . . We must show that we have the highest standards for our profession.”

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