COLNE Valley MP Kali Mountford has become the first MP to reveal her expenses claims to the Examiner.

It comes after we called for MPs to come clean about what they have claimed for as part of the controversial additional costs allowance which has already led to her getting offensive mail.

Ms Mountford and the other MPs had come in for stinging criticism, but yesterday she gave the Examiner the chance to look at her expenses in detail – and here they are.

Today MP Barry Sheerman will give us full access to his accounts.

With the exception of rent and living costs, Ms Mountford’s expenses forms dating back to 2004 show she has claimed for a £500 fridge freezer, a mattress worth £245 and a vacuum cleaner for £199.99.

Her main home is in Slaithwaite, a four-bed terraced property which she has a mortgage on.

“I believe home is where the family is and my family are here,” she said.

Until two weeks ago her second home was a one-bed flat in Pimlico.

But she has revealed she moved last week because of her disability and her second home is now a flat in County Hall, Lambeth.

Her rent is currently £1,181 a month which she claims for as part of the additional costs allowance.

A typical monthly expenses form also includes – £240 on food, £80 on utilities, £120 on phone and communications, £55 on cleaning, service and maintenance £50, £25 on insurance and £10 towards a TV licence.

Ms Mountford added: “I have always rented in London, never bought.

“I do believe that MPs need a second home near to Parliament if they don’t already live there.

“I can remember times we’d be there until 2am or 3am so we needed somewhere to go back to.”

Until April 2009, Ms Mountford claimed £89,846 on staffing, £21,270 on office costs and £24,000 on living away.

Going through thousands of expenses forms, since June 4, 2004, she claimed £220 for taxis – from memory she puts it down to working late at Parliament.

Another claim for taxis worth £210 on May 31 2005 was refused with a note saying she was not eligible.

Between April 11, 2005 and April 30, 2005 she claimed £724 on rent which was reduced to £265.46 by the fees office which was the remainder of the additional allowance costs available that financial year.

“That’s the way it goes, I had to pay the rest myself that month and get on with doing my job,” she added.

In December 2005 she had a claim for £425 worth of food reduced to £400 which was the maximum.

On either December 2 or 5 2005 she claimed £245 for a new mattress as part of a total claim of £2,204.

On May 31, 2005, she claimed £723 in rent, £360 in food, £160 on utilities and £34 on council tax, £245 on phone, £220 on cleaning and £225 on laundry.

On March 28, 2007 she put a claim in for £1,191 in rent which was at the end of the financial year – but because she had spent all of her allowance bar £200.74 that’s all she was given.

On August 29 2006 she claimed £550 for a fridge freezer – reduced by £149 by the fees office – and £199.99 for a vacuum cleaner which was approved.

By May 2006 her rent had increased to £1,191 and she then put a deposit down on another flat for £1,650.

She now claims for laundry – average of £210 – due to her disability

Travel costs are a big expense for Ms Mountford. who needs a carer to travel with her.That is often her husband and constituency office manager, Ian Leedham.

Kali said: “We have a travel card as does every MP and the figures go to the fees office.

“But I’m honest enough to say that, yes it’s high because I need someone to come with me or drive me.”

She added: “I had some help in writing the rules so I am pretty good at sticking to them as well.

“I would support MPs who have some form of disability and want to carry on as I would for a disabled person in any job.

“It’s sad that the positive changes we had put in place from April 1 haven’t yet been given a chance to be used because of the Daily Telegraph’s revelations.

“We’d looked at married couples and what they were claiming – there isn’t a single claim I’ve seen that we hadn’t looked at and put in place a system to reassess it.

“It is quite sad that this has happened to Parliament.

“It has gone to MPs’ hearts – I know they worry about it – I am told there is an air of anxiety but looking at my expenses I can’t see anything I shouldn’t have claimed for.

“I wouldn’t have claimed for it if it wasn’t right.”

Have your say below. Do you agree with the Colne Valley MP who says all her claims were legitimate or do you think the system needs changing?