A POPPY wreath, chocolate bar and boozy cake ingredients are among the items claimed by the district's two MPs since 2004.

Westminster finally bowed to public pressure yesterday (Thursday) and published a heavily censored list online of expenses claims made by all MPs, including Bridgwater and West Somerset MP Ian Liddell-Grainger and Taunton MP Jeremy Browne.

Names of some suppliers and workers, together with addresses have been blacked out, as have the finer details of some receipts from popular stores including Argos and the now defunct Woolworths.

In fact, the expense details that have been published are only a fraction of the amounts that can be claimed by each of Westminster's 646 MPs.

The figures do not include their staffing costs - Mr Liddell-Grainger spent £86,469 on staff in 2007/08 compared to Mr Browne's £90,251 - travel costs or separate stationery budgets.

The published figures focus on just three key areas - the controversial additional costs allowance for second homes, the communications budget to cover the cost of keeping in touch with constituents, and incidental expenses, which includes office running costs.

Both Conservative Mr Liddell-Grainger and Liberal Democrat Mr Browne each claimed up to £300 a month on food and claimed their mortgages, utility bills, Council Tax and associated charges for their London homes - amounting, on average, to around £2,000 a month - under their additional costs allowance.

Mr Liddell-Grainger defended his expenses claims, insisting that he had tried to be as "careful" as he could during his eight years in office.

But the backbench MP, who has no shadow responsibilities but sits on a number of select committees, employs a total of six staff and has also notched up additional staffing and resource costs running into thousands of pounds since 2004.

Among his incidental expenses over the last four years were claims for around £13,000 of computers and linked support from Williton business Edward Martin Computers, including one bill of £3,360 to move computer equipment to a different office.

Mr Liddell-Grainger told the Free Press that he had bought a total of 11 computers which were used by him and his staff because he was not happy with the quality of IT equipment provided by the House of Commons.

He said he used "bits and pieces" of the parliamentary equipment, for which he claimed £1,161 last year, but was keen to support his local businesses.

The computers claimed for would, he said, be handed back to the House of Commons when he was no longer an MP.

Mr Browne, meanwhile, who has had a number of shadow posts and is currently shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has five computers and over the same period claimed £1,114 in centrally provided computer equipment.

Mr Liddell-Grainger has also claimed for three cameras and associated equipment over the past four years at a cost to the taxpayer of £1,634.

He said one was for himself, another for his House of Commons-based researcher Ed Boyle, while the third he had broken.

A further £2,000 was spent on a 'school film' and £1,750 on 'filming'.

A single undated Tesco receipt for £79.15 includes a £9.98 bottle of rum and £10.27 bottle of brandy, along with sugar, beef suet, salt, raisins, sultanas, lemons, cherries and mixed peel.

Mr Liddell-Grainger said he could not remember why the ingredients had been claimed but his wife Jill had probably been making or donating something for a constituency event.

It is his wife's employment - listed on the Conservatives' own website as a full-time secretary in the House of Commons and the constituency for her husband - that may attract criticism.

Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the House of Commons Harriet Harman said on Tuesday that MPs could be banned from employing their wives, husbands and children because a crackdown was needed to restore public confidence.

She said it was almost impossible to convince the public that there was fair employment opportunity.

Mrs Liddell-Grainger, who according to the Conservatives' website was on a salary band of between £20,000 and just under £30,000 last year, also runs her own business, Jill's Natural Preserves, making a wide range of jams and chutneys.

Mr Liddell-Grainger said his wife spent evenings and weekends working for her business and since taking up the employment with her husband - about three years ago - had scaled down the enterprise, which she set up just over three years ago.

He said she had a stall at London's Borough Market on two Saturdays a month but did not sell her products at any other markets or outlets, other than the couple's local pub in Bicknoller.

"Jill works mainly in London with me and is up there from Monday to Friday most weeks," he said.

"I employ her because she is very competent and has a background in business.

"I don't think there is anything wrong with employing family members if they can do the job.

"I took on my wife because I simply could not cope with the volume of work. "She is flexible, works incredibly hard and will take on some tasks - such as working unsociable hours - that I couldn't ask my constituency secretary Claire Gibson to do.

"From day one, I have never made a secret of employing Jill and I think what I am doing is absolutely fine."

Among Mr Liddell-Grainger's published claims were:

* £79 at Tesco for rum, brandy and cake ingredients

* £3,260 to move computer equipment to a different office

* £79 for a filing cabinet

* £677 for one camera and associated accessories

* £349 for a computer repair and new motherboard

* £1,750 for "filming"

* £822 for the services of an accountant

* £39.95 for a camera memory card

Among Mr Browne's published claims were:

* £1,300 for wooden venetian blinds

* £16.50 for a poppy wreath

* £218 to dry clean curtains

*£10 for a yukka plant

* £972 on a sofa and rug

* £479 for an office leather chair

* £45 at shoe retailer Timpson

* £4.15 at Woollies for a Kat-Kat Chunky, three bottles of soft drink and some stamps

Mr Browne said he had abided "by the spirit as well as the letter of the rules" when it came to his expenses claims since being elected in 2005 and did not pretend to be sleeping on bare floorboards in his second home in London.

He said: "I have claimed some items such as a bed, sofa, carpet, blinds and a few basic decorative items and have financed other furniture myself, including a table, chairs and a chest of drawers.

"It is worth stressing that my home is in Taunton and it has been entirely financed by me.

"I have not 'flipped' my designated home, avoided capital gains tax or claimed for a non-existent mortgage."

He said he could not remember the claim for the Kit-Kat and drinks but said the items could well have been bought for a volunteer working in the constituency office rather than paying them a day's wage.

He said the yukka plant had been among a £229 "household items" shop, which had included paint and decorating materials.

Mr Browne added: "I could easily have just submitted one bill under household items and not provided a break down, but I have been as honest as I can be.

"I fear the media coverage will be the harshest to those that have been the most honest."

In total, Mr Liddell-Grainger received £23,083 in additional costs allowance in 2007/08, £30,256 in incidental expenses and £6,538 in communications in the same period.

Mr Browne received a total of £23,074 in additional costs allowance in 2007/08, £19,662 in incidental expenses and £11,205 in communications allowance in the same year.

Overall, Mr Browne was the 84th most expensive MP last year, claiming a total of £161,136 in expenses in addition to his £64,000 salary, while Mr Liddell-Grainger was the 36th most expensive MP, claiming £166,109 in expenses and costs.

* National newspaper The Daily Telegraph - which was leaked the full details of MPs expenses claims well before yesterday's Westminster-censored version was published - has pledged to print a full, unedited version of MPs' claims in a special supplement tomorrow (Saturday).