A HAMPSHIRE MP accused of underhandedly raising funds for the Conservative party by hosting "dinners for cash" at the House of Commons has spoken about the scandal for the first time.

Speaking exclusively to the Daily Echo, Fareham MP Mark Hoban denied he had broken the rules and said he was confident an inquiry into the allegations would clear his name.

The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner has launched an investigation into the matter after complaints were made by Labour MPs that members of the Conservative party had been abusing Westminster's dining rooms by hosting fundraising dinners.

According to one of the complainants, Barrow MP John Mann, 19 Tory MPs were involved including Mr Hoban and leader David Cameron MP.

Now Mr Mann is calling on Mr Hoban to come clean about what the events were for and is calling for all the cash raised during the dinners to be handed to a Hampshire charity.

Any MP who held a dinner in one of Parliament's four upmarket restaurants was asked to sign a contract agreeing that it was not a party political fundraising event, Mr Mann added.

If Mr Hoban is found to have broken Parliamentary rules he could face a number of punishments including being suspended from the House of Commons.

However Mr Hoban countered: "I don't believe that I have broken the House rules in what I have done and I am sure this will be found to be true when the investigation is finished."

A spokesman for the Conservatives added that the rules over what can and cannot be done were unclear, because although private rooms can not be used for direct financial gain either for the individual or the party, holding political events in the rooms is acceptable.

The investigation is likely to be completed within the next few months.