An American election strategist recommended by Bill Clinton cost the Labour Party more than half a million pounds during the last election campaign, while the Tories spent £62,000 on taxis and more than £3,000 on Michael Howard's make-up.

Detailed expenses unveiled today for the first time by the Electoral Commission showed why both Labour and the Conservatives were pressing their supporters to dig deep to pay for last year's general election campaign - no expense was spared in the battle for the heart and minds of voters.

Labour spent almost £17,939,617 on its push for a third straight election win, including more than £2 million on "overheads and general administration" and a similar amount on transport.

The Conservatives, eager to avoid an electoral wipe-out, spent £17,852,240 - including more than £8 million on advertising and £4.5 million on "unsolicted material for electors".

But the devil, as ever, is in the detail, such as Labour's payment of £530,000 to Mark Penn, the former Clinton strategist, or Alastair Campbell's decision to charge Labour £40,000, plus VAT, for his services during the campaign.

Another Labour consultant, the market research guru Philip Gould, earned £143,000, while the Tories received bills totalling £441,000 from Lynton Crosbie, the Australian strategist behind the party's much-derided 'Are you thinking what we're thinking?' campaign that focused on so-called "dog whistle" issues.

The Liberal Democrats also spent heavily en route to their best showing for 60 years, splashing out £4.3 million on the campaign. The party spent more than £5,000 on clothing for its then leader, Charles Kennedy. Mr Kennedy also spent more than £2,000 on make-up.

The Commission released the detailed expenses as part of a drive to increase transparency in party political expenditure in the wake of the cash-for-peerages scandal currently under investigation by Scotland Yard.

Labour backbenchers reacted angrily last week to a report in The Times that Labour had been charged £7,700 to pay for Cherie Blair's hairdos during the month-long campaign, which cost £275 a day.

But grooming seems to have been a Conservative priority too: Mr Howard's make-up bills totalled £3,638 and his wife, Sandra, a former model, even charged £65 for a hairdo before the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles.

Another heavy cost for Labour was John Prescott's "battle bus", in which the Deputy Prime Minister connected with voters during the campaign - although not quite as literally as in the run-up to the 2001 election.

The expenses reveal that Mr Prescott's campaign coach cost at least £139,000, including £3,172 on rebranding it as the "Prescott Express".

Labour also spent £299 on Star Trek suits, as part of a stunt against the Tory John Redwood, who is known as "Vulcan", while the Conservatives spent £3,500 on two groundhog suits worn by their campaigners outside Labour headquarters in an attempt to portray Labour as stuck in the past.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• The real-life adventures of Tintin the spy
• Our universities face a radical upheaval
• Doctor Who