ANY MPs guilty of fraudulent expense claims should be stripped of their gold-plated pensions, it has been suggested.

Christchurch MP Chris Chope said he found it outrageous that some MPs could be forced out of politics for submitting inflated expense claims but still be entitled to a lucrative pension.

He said he fully supported calls for the police to investigate the most suspicious allegations of expense fiddling.

But he said it may be a quicker and more effective form of punishment for MPs to lose their pension entitlements, in the same way that police officers can if they are found guilty of misconduct.

The Conservative MP said: “The argument is that although the police contribute to their pensions, as indeed we do, that’s on the basis that we are going to behave honourably and in accordance with the terms and conditions of our employment.

“If you break that, why should you be entitled to a great big pension? That could be a more effective and quicker sanction than trying to drag stuff through the courts. I think the pension penalty is something that could be applied to more people and would actually be something tangible.”

Meanwhile, Labour MP Jim Knight, who represents South Dorset, said the never-ending expense revelations would, eventually, produce a more transparent and accountable Parliament.

He said: “Contrary to what some might believe, we don’t go around as MPs comparing notes about what we’ve claimed for so we have got no idea how others have behaved.

“It doesn’t feel anything to be happy about right now but it’s absolutely the right thing that people should feel more accountable for their expenses and the only way we can get that accountability is through transparency.”