WITH a £1,000 flat-screen TV on the wall, surrounded by £3,000 worth of swanky new soft furnishings, Bob Spink’s plush London pad sounds like a wonderful retreat from the pressures of modern life.

A sift through the Castle Point MP’s claim forms for the controversial second homes allowance reveal he has ploughed nearly £90,000 into making his home a more than comfortable alternative to his first home in Benfleet.

Mr Spink has claimed about £20,000 a year since 2004 to maintain the flat, which is near the London Eye, and the £3,000 on cleaning suggests he is certainly house-proud.

For the past four years, he has almost always claimed the maximum £400 for food every month, racking up a total bill of £13,600.

The taxpayer has also continued to meet the mortgage repayments as they have steadily crept up to the £900 mark, and five years after buying the property for about £250,000, he is likely to get about £400,000 if he decides to cash in.

He also spent £3,000 on new carpet and curtains. In late 2006, he shelled out £136 to get the carpet cleaned. Mr Spink’s biggest single claim was for £6,817 in June 2004. It is listed under the repairs and insurance section, but was used to help pay for his new bathroom.

Dr Bob Spink says he is the hardest working MP in the land and that is only made possible by using the allowances system to subsidise his flat near Westminster.

He said: “Official statistics show I am the hardest working of all 646 MPs, and I only achieve this by using the allowances system to provide a work flat, office facilities, staff and travel. I often work 90 hours a week.”

He says he under-claimed by £22,000 for his work-flat mortgage, and he used food claims to put on dinner parties at charity auctions, and to entertain guests at Westminster.