SOME Hampshire MPs are caught up in a row over “back-door funding” of their own parties – because they rent offices from them.

Six county MPs claim allowances for taking out office space from political parties, information published for the first time yesterday showed.

The cost to the taxpayer was almost £42,000 in the last financial year, an analysis by the Daily Echo can reveal.

There is no suggestion that any of the MPs – or the local parties – has broken any rules, because they were required to prove they were paying a reasonable level of rent.

Many MPs have pointed to annual rents totalling just a few thousand pounds as evidence they are saving taxpayers’ money, by avoiding higher commercial charges.

But the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has hinted it may now outlaw the practice, as part of “rebuilding trust in politics”.

Sir Ian Kennedy, chairman of the expenses watchdog, said: “Transparency is crucial to re-building trust in politics and making sure public debate is built on a foundation of facts.

“IPSA will consider whether, even if the individual leases are appropriate, the cumulative effect means we need to reconsider this aspect of the rules.”

Both Southampton Labour MPs rent offices through the party, John Denham (Southampton Itchen – £6,754.12) and Alan Whitehead (Southampton Test – £13,114.12).

In Hampshire, in 2012-13, the highest payment was by Julian Lewis (New Forest East – £9,137.52), paid to his Conservative association.

Dr Whitehead told the Daily Echo his costs were higher as he employed three staff in Southampton and preferred to have a bigger base here rather than using free office services in London – a long way from his constituency.

Pointing out that his landlord, Labour Party Property Services, was a national body rather than a local Labour group, he said: “If you have most of your staff in London then you don’t actually pay any rent for that space. “If most of your staff are in your constituency, then you have to pay.”

A spokesman for Dr Lewis said: “These are all matters for the IPSA and Dr Lewis has nothing to add.”

Mr Denham defended the practice, saying: “IPSA is an independent body which has established the rules surrounding the establishment of MPs’ office rental agreements.

“It is important that MPs are able to have offices from which to serve their constituents. Clearly, these have to be proved to be value for money for the taxpayer.”

A ban on renting from party political organisations was first suggested in a 2008 report, at the height of the expenses scandal – but rejected.

However, last month, Bernard Jenkin, the Conservative chairman of the Public Administration Committee, called for a rethink.

He told the Committee on Standards in Public Life: “There must be no impression that parliamentary expenses are being used as back-door funding for political parties.”