AN MP has defended his decision to use his taxpayer-subsidised mortgage to fund £25,000 of home improvements on his London flat.

David Crausby, MP for Bolton North East, said if he claimed for the work on his toilet, kitchen and bathroom in the normal way it would have taken him over his monthly limit.

Instead, he borrowed the extra £25,000 as part of a renegotiated mortgage. The deal was approved by the parliamentary fees office and is within the rules.

It came to light after Mr Crausby's claims for his second home increased by £400 in January.

When the fees office queried the rise, the MP said he had extended his borrowing so he could refurbish his flat. He says £100 of the increase was interest on the loan.

Confirming the extra payments, Mr Crausby wrote to the office explaining: "I negotiated a new fixed-term loan at a lower interest rate and took the opportunity to borrow an additional £25,000 which I intend to use to refurbish the kitchen, bathroom and toilet in my flat."

Initially, Mr Crausby told a local newspaper he was saving the taxpayer cash by arranging a new mortgage deal after his previous discounted deal ran out.

Now he has admitted to the M.E.N. that because he is one of the highest claiming MPs in the country he would not have been able to submit expenses claims to refurbish his flat in the normal way.

He says he claimed £249 for a month on repairs, insurance, security and the same amount on service and maintenance - the maximum claim he could make without providing receipts - in each category because he was advised it was the 'done thing'.

Mr Crausby claimed £23,083 in 2007/8, the joint top claim for second-home allowance that year. He was also the joint top claimant in the category in 2006/7 and 2003/4.

He admitted to receiving some 'flak' over his claims from his constituents, but said he had done nothing wrong and had no regrets.

He said: "At the end of 2007 my mortgage ran out, I got to the end of the two-year period of reduction and I paid £1,640 for two months, but I continued to claim for £910 because it was my fault that it ran out, I should have taken some action before it ran out.

"I got a new deal for £1,331. In the process, I also took out a loan for £25,000 and the interest on this was about £100 a month, the other £300 was due to an increase in the mortgage rate.

"I just wanted to get it done really. I had quite a high mortgage anyway. I can't see what is wrong with borrowing extra money.

"I didn't want to be messing about doing a bit before April and a bit after, like some people do.

"I certainly could not have claimed all that in one year I would have had to stagger the claim over two years and I wanted to get it done.

"I said it was for a kitchen, bathroom and toilet but I have also had new floors, had the ceilings lowered. I have made quite a nice job of it."

On claiming the maximum amounts available without receipts and being one of the highest claiming MPs for second home allowances he added: "That was the advice I got. It was the done thing, I was advised to do that.

"A lot of MPs are joint at number one, a lot of people claim the maximum in those areas. The people who are really clever claim £10 or £50 less one month then it puts them way down the list.

"I have not flipped or done anything like that."

He said he had received some correspondence regarding his expenses from 'politically-motivated members of the public' who 'hate the Labour party'.

The fees office confirmed that the rules on second homes changed in July 2006 to allow MPs to claim the interest if they re-mortgaged for 'repairing or improving' their property.

But Deborah Dunleavy, the Conservative candidate who will stand against Mr Crausby at the next election, said: "I would question whether his constituents think he needs to refurbish his bathroom, toilet and kitchen in order to be a better MP.

"He should be trying to get the best possible mortgage deal for taxpayers - getting a reduction should not be an opportunity for taking out a loan."