EXPENSE claims for MPs dating back to the end of last year have been published by the officially parliamentary watchdog.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards’ Authority figures show that MPs from across the region have continued to get almost all their expenses passed as legitimate.

And it also shows that some who had not claimed much in the early months of the parliament had now “caught up” with their colleagues.

The highest claims in November and December were paid to South Suffolk MP Tim Yeo and Ipswich MP Ben Gummer with �12,708 and �10,557.

But they had had very small claims in earlier published figures – and detailed examination of these claims shows that they included accommodation dating back to the start of the parliament in May last year.

In earlier lists Suffolk Coastal MP Dr Therese Coffey’s claims had been the highest in the area, but this time her figure is one of the lowest at �5,987.

Central Suffolk and North Ipswich MP Dr Dan Poulter claimed �8,753, Waveney MP Peter Aldous claimed �9,279, West Suffolk MP Matthew Hancock claimed �6,051, and Bury St Edmunds MP David Ruffley claimed �2,147.

In Essex Colchester MP Bob Russell claimed �3,893, North Essex MP Bernard Jenkin claimed �3,995, Witham MP Priti Patel claimed �2,473 and Clacton MP Douglas Carswell claimed �2,856.

Mr Jenkin and Mr Yeo both had small elements of their expenses claims rejected because they related to a time before the new expenses scheme came into existence after last year’s general election.