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Oxford East MP Andrew Smith and his wife Val

Oxford East MP Andrew Smith has been put under more pressure to declare how much he pays his wife for constituency work, following the latest furore over expense claims.

Detailed expense claims of all MPs dating back to 2004 look set to be published by the end of the year.

This comes after the Commons was ordered to release details of 14 senior MPs' expenses under Freedom of Information laws.

And although Mr Smith - whose wife Val runs his constituency office - was not among this group, there have been further calls for him to reveal how much he pays her.

Craig Simmons, leader of Oxford's Green Party, said: "We have been asking Andrew Smith to disclose his expenses.

"The particular reason why we are targeting him is because of the situation surrounding MPs employing family members.

"Because his wife is not only employed by him but is also a councillor, it very much muddies the water between the Parliamentary and the political.

"We are asking for a breakdown of his expenses, together with timesheets of work carried out and evidence of employment.

"It is important we scrutinise where public money is going. With it now looking as though MPs will be forced to disclose expenditures by the end of the year, we are urging Andrew Smith to disclose his expenses now if he has nothing to hide."

But Mr Smith dismissed it as a political attack ahead of Green hopes to unseat him at the next General Election.

He said: "The Green Party has never contacted me asking me to declare anything. They are playing political games in the hope they can beat me in the General Election."

He said he felt it was a "good thing" that all MPs may have to publish detailed expense claims by the end of the year, saying: "The public has a right to know."

But when asked about his wife's salary, he said: "I think it would be unfair, and poor employment practice, to single out my wife for special treatment.

"I will consult all my staff about publishing how many staff I have in various pay bands and once this consultation is complete, I would like to publish the information.

"This will go beyond what is likely to be required by the Commons authorities."

Mr Smith said his wife was contracted to work 37 hours a week for him, but in practice worked many more.

Mr Smith has come under pressure following the case of Tory MP Derek Conway, suspended from the Commons after an investigation could find no record of work he had paid his son to do.

5:44pm Wednesday 19th March 2008

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