BREXIT-backing MPs have defended spending thousands of pounds of their expenses on subscribing to a Eurosceptic research group now chaired by Tory politician Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Expenses records show three Dorset MPs have been putting money into the European Research Group (ERG) to fund research into Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union.

Christchurch MP Sir Chris Chope has recorded spending a total of £6,000 to fund the ERG between 2013 and 2015.

Mid-Dorset and North Poole MP Michael Tomlinson, who is the group’s deputy chairman, paid £2,000 in 2016. Sir Desmond Swayne, MP for New Forest West, recorded spending £2,000 last year but says he has subscribed since 1997, before the current system of parliamentary expenses.

Mr Tomlinson said: “I voted to leave the European Union. Some of our best days lie ahead of us and the ERG provides expert analysis and expert research on that.

“It’s absolutely not right to say it’s some shadowy lobbying group."

He pointed out that the ERG had been approved by the expenses regulator IPSA as a pooled supplier of research.

"There are members of the group, and subscribers, who themselves voted to remain but we see the opportunity that Brexit puts forward," he added.

“It’s a broad church, with the proviso that those who are signed up are signed up to working to make a success of Brexit and the research is there to help parliament do that.”

Sir Desmond Swayne said: “I subscribed to ERG in 1997. It provides detailed briefing on EU legislation and related issues which I find very helpful and excellent value.”

The ERG was created in 1993 and was relaunched in 2016 with Mr Tomlinson as deputy chairman. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the high-profile Conservative hard-liner, became its chairman last month.

Several government ministers are among the subscribers to the ERG. Former Labour minister Ben Bradshaw has called for an investigation into whether they have broken the ministerial code.

He said: “The fact that this almost certainly won’t happen shows quite how much Theresa May is in hock to the radical right of her party.”