A RAFT of Southampton Labour politicians are backing a call for any MPs shown to have fiddled their expenses to face automatic deselection.

Leading city councillors, parliamentary candidates and other party figures from Southampton have signed the letter which condemns “the conduct of many Labour MPs, ministers and cabinet ministers in allowance and expense claims funded by hard-working British taxpayers during the tenure of this Parliament”.

The letter slams Gordon Brown and party bosses for damaging the reputation of the party by failing to “take charge of a critical situation on an issue so fundamentally defining to the character and reputation of our party, its supporters and activists”.

It also criticises the party spokesman for blaming “the system” when expense claims are matters of “individual responsibility”.

The letter adds: “Our party has been left looking incredibly insensitive and out of touch with hard-working and fair-minded citizens.”

Southampton Labour group spokesman Councillor Warwick Payne, said: “This is absolutely not geared at the two Southampton MPs. We feel for the most part we’ve kept our noses clean and expect everyone else to do the same.”

The letter will today be handed to the Labour Party’s National Executive Council asking for a thorough review of suspected excessive and abusive claims, and for individual MPs who have brought the party into disrepute to be sacked from the party.

Luton South MP Margaret Moran was forced to repay the £22,500 she claimed for treating dry rot a house she shares with her partner in Southampton – 100 miles from her constituency. She made the claim just days after designating the house in Ivy Road, St Denys, as her second home.

Southampton Test MP Alan Whitehead, along with Lib Dem Eastleigh MP Chris Huhne, have published full receipts of their claims ahead of official disclosure by Commons authorities in coming weeks.

Mr Whitehead’s claims for the London flat he designates as his second home include a replacement boiler, a table and chairs, a blind and new flooring.