NEW Forest East Conservative MP Julian Lewis, was among 96 MPs to vote to exempt Parliament from freedom of information laws yesterday.

His support helped backbench MP David Maclean's Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill clear its final Commons hurdle by a majority of 71 votes.

The Bill, if backed by the House of Lords, would exclude both the Commons and the Lords, as well as MPs' correspondence, from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

Supporters said it was needed to protect the confidentiality of MPs' correspondence with constituents.

But critics said this was already covered by data protection law and claimed the real aim was to block embarrassing disclosures about MPs' spending habits.

Romsey MP Sandra Gidley - one of 25 MPs who voted against the Bill accused those who supported it of being "narrow minded and short-sighted".

The Liberal Democrat MP said: "Our MPs should welcome freedom of information provisions. If anyone looks at my expenses I can justify everything. What have they got to hide?

"We ought to be working to restore public trust rather than further destroy it."

Hampshire's other MPs, who failed to attend the vote, were divided over the Bill.

Chris Huhne, Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh, said: "This was an outrageous Labour/Tory attempt to try to stop the publication of figures that the electorate have every right to know.

"It clearly had the support of the Labour frontbench."

John Denham, Labour MP for Southampton Itchen, said: "My view is it's important to protect constituency correspondence from the FoI Act. I don't mind how it's done. It's quite important people feel they can bring cases to us and a question mark has been raised about confidentiality."

But he added: "I have no problem with expenses being published."

Peter Viggers, Tory MP for Gosport, said: "The Bill has a sound point that has been much misinterpreted.

"Members of Parliament are in danger of being prevented from doing their job because people can go into their correspondence and see what they have been saying to their constituents. If I had been in the House of Commons I would have supported this measure."

Desmond Swayne, Tory MP for New Forest West, said he was sympathetic to the aims of the Bill but added that it was "unwise" because it "gives the impression we have something to hide".

Mr Swayne said: "Actually I don't think we have anything to hide. Broadly I am in favour of the Bill because it will not stop the publication of expenses and it will protect the confidentiality of members' correspondence."

Mark Oaten, Liberal Democrat MP for Winchester, said: "I'm against this Bill as are the rest of the Liberal Democrats."