Ashford MP Damian Green has joined a growing backlash over proposals by the Government that would allow MPs to block the publication of information about their expenses.

The Government is facing widespread criticism after announcing it intends to change the law to prevent the disclosure of detailed information and receipts from MPs’ expenditure.

It follows a long-running wrangle over MPs’ expenditure which led to a Freedom of Information ruling last year that all details of how money had been spent should be published.

But the Government wants to bypass the Freedom of Information ruling with a proposal that annual totals for MPs will be published, broken down into more categories than they have been.

It would mean politicians would be able to withhold details of precisely how they had spent money on things like furnishings and other items for second homes.

Ashford MP Damian Green (Con) echoed: "Under no circumstances will I be voting for this. I believe in transparency where public money is concerned and I will do whatever is required (to publish detail)."

He added that where public money was being spent, it was important that politicians were as accountable as they could be.

His opposition has been echoed by several other Kent MPs. Faversham and Mid Kent MP Hugh Robertson (Con) said: "I am in favour of complete transparency and believe all our receipts should be published. I am staggered we have got ourselves into this mess. Nobody would seriously dispute that we need some form of allowances but why should we try and exempt ourselves from disclosure?"

Maurice Frankel, of the Campaign for Freedom of Information, said: "The individual expenses claims of senior officials across the public sector are publicly available under the FOI Act. There is no justification for allowing Members of Parliament to meet a lower level of scrutiny than such public sector officials."

MPs are to vote on the proposal this Thursday.