The House of Commons (HoC) Commission, chaired by the speaker Michael Martin, has launched a High Court challenge to block an order from a special tribunal to reveal details of 15 senior MPs' expenses.

The special tribunal had ordered the commission to make public how current or former MPs, including Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Sir Menzies Campbell and George Galloway, spent allowances to finance their lifestyle, the Evening Standard reports.

But the commission yesterday sought to appeal the ruling in High Court to avoid revealing the MPs' second home addresses, an action condemned by action groups after the Commons had already spent more than £52,000 to keep secret details of MPs' travel and second home claims.

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said the MPs were ‘just putting off the inevitable and in the process they are wasting thousands of pounds’.

Further reading:

Firms to rule on Commons expenses

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