TORY MP James Duddridge used public money to help furnish a London flat, then switched claims to help fund a different property in the capital.

Mr Duddridge, who represents Rochford and Southend East, spent about £7,000 renovating the apartment, then switched his second home claim to a new £397,500 flat.

He said he had not broken any rules and will not change his arrangements until the full inquiry into MPs expenses had been carried out. Questions were raised last week over why Mr Duddridge, or any of the south Essex MPs, should be allowed to claim second home allowances for London homes, when their constituency homes are within commuting distance.

Political opponents have pledged to fight Mr Duddridge on a “minimum expenses” ticket at the next General Election on the back of the second homes fiasco.

Mr Duddridge, who lives in Southend with his family, said: “In 2001, when I worked for Barclays Bank in Botswana, I bought a very small one-bedroom flat (in London) on a buy-to-rent mortgage as a lot of other people did at the same time.

“I was thinking at that time of it being my pension.”

Mr Duddridge said when he had been elected to Parliament in 2005, he had at first stayed at the home of a friend who lived near Westminster for which he had not made any claims.

He continued: “This was only satisfactory for a short term and I decided when the lease was due for renewal I would take the flat back myself.

“While I was there I claimed for the mortgage interest and for part of a redecoration which took place when I moved in.”

He said when his wife became pregnant, he wanted to keep the family together as much as possible and the one-bedroom flat was not suitable.

He said: “I bought, on a mortgage, another larger flat and the original one reverted to being rented as it was originally.

“On the existing flat, I have only charged for the mortgage interest, council tax and service charge and some small items when I first bought it.”

Mr Duddridge, who claimed £22,975 in 2007/08, £105 less than the maximum allowed, said he did not intend to make any changes to his arrangements yet.

He added: “At the moment, we are being told of interim arranagements, but even these have changed about five times in the past two weeks about how much you can and cannot charge.”

Southend independent councillor Ron Woodley said he will stand against Mr Duddridge at the next General Election.

Mr Woodley said: “The expenses issue just shows how MPs now are putting the party first, themselves second and the residents very much third.

“My wife commutes to London every day and uses the same tube station as James Duddridge and if I were to stand I would pledge only to use expenses to do my job.”

Kevin Bonavia, Labour candidate for Rochford and Southend East, said: “If I am elected I would pledge to only rent and not have a mortgage for personal gain and I would live in Southend.

“I would keep any living expenses to a minimum.”