FOUR Hampshire MPs have racked up travel, music and sports freebies worth more than £13,000 as gifts in the past year, the Daily Echo can reveal.

Fact-finding trips to Israel and day visits to Vienna, Austria, as well as tickets to top cricket events, the Rugby World Cup final and expensive whisky are among the presents received by the MPs – who earn a basic salary of £67,060.

Conservative MP for Fareham Suella Fernandes, 35, who was elected in May last year, has visited Israel and the West Bank at an estimated cost of £2,000 paid for by the Conservative Friends of Israel organisation.

The trip was from August 30 to September 4 and was logged by the former London barrister, who now lives in Locks Heath, as “fact finding”.

A spokesman said: “Suella visited Israel and the West Bank last year along with a group of other MPs at the invitation of Conservative Friends of Israel, who organise many such educational visits for parliamentarians.

“The visit took place during the Parliamentary recess, at no cost to the taxpayer.

“She was grateful for the opportunity to visit the region and learn more about the challenges the region faces, given that it is one of the most significant and complicated areas of current foreign policy.

“As a new MP she welcomes such opportunities to broaden her experience of complex issues, enabling her to make more informed judgements when voting on matters that affect her constituents and the country as a whole.”

Father of three Kit Malthouse, 49, who also became Tory MP for North West Hampshire last yearat the May general election, accepted £1,000 of hospitality for himself and his wife with tickets provided by the Conservative party at its Black and White Fundraiser in February, “at the request of Mrs and Mrs H du Val de Beaulieu.”(sic).

He told the Daily Echo: “Obviously like every other member of the Conservative party, in my spare time I support the party in their fundraising efforts; the hospitality is fully and properly declared in the Register of Members’ Interests.”

Conservative MP for North East Hampshire Ranil Jayawardena, 29, also elected last year, has accepted tickets to a one-day international cricket match between England and New Zealand worth £325 at The Ageas Bowl, in West End, as well as a meal for himself and his family worth £300 courtesy of the Sri Lanka High Commission, which also gave him.

He also accepted a £40 bottle of whisky from this organisation. He was unavailable to comment.

Sir Gerald Howarth, 68, who has been a Hampshire MP for Aldershot for 18 years, has had tickets for the Rugby World Cup clash between England and Australia worth £1,650 and the final between Australia and New Zealand worth with a price tag of £2,874.

He also clocked up £5,610 on trips to Manama in Bahrain, Kiev in the Ukraine and Vienna in Austria. He was also unavailable to comment.

These gifts and acts of hospitality were declared in the Members’ Register of Interests in accordance with the guidelines.

The most recent records show no gifts or trips for Conservatives Royston Smith, MP for Southampton Itchen, Julian Lewis, MP for New Forest East, Desmond Swayne, MP for New Forest West, Caroline Nokes, MP for Romsey and Southampton North, Steve Brine, MP for Winchester, Mims Davies, MP for Eastleigh, or Caroline Dineage, MP for Gosport.