WARRINGTON North MP Helen Jones has been cleared of wrongdoing despite paying back more than £800 in expenses.

Mrs Jones was named among more than 300 MPs who had claimed too much in a report by Sir Thomas Legg published on Thursday.

The Government Whip paid back the £840.05 last year according to the report, with the figure largely centred on mortgage interest payments.

According to Sir Thomas, Mrs Jones claimed too much for the period when Parliament was dissolved in 2005 before the General Election.

But a mix-up at the fees office meant she was overpaid for her mortgage but under paid for her council tax – and the Legg inquiry did not investigate any under-payments.

Mrs Jones said: “I am pleased that the review has confirmed no wrongdoing on my part.

“However Legg has identified an error which he accepts was made by the House of Commons fees office which he asked to pay back.

“He asked for this payment despite there being an underpayment on that particular claim.

“The Legg review has no remit to look at underpayments.

“The House of Commons fees office correctly reduced my mortgage for the period when parliament was dissolved in 2005 and wrote the reduced amount on my claim form.

“They then added up the fingers incorrectly, using the unadjusted mortgage figure but reducing the council tax payment.

“I’m confident that I would have won this case on appeal as many others have done because there was no loss to public funds.

“However ministers were asked not to delay the process by appealing and I felt I had to respect the Prime Minister’s wishes on this matter.”

Helen Southworth, the Warrington South MP who will step down when the election is called, had no money to pay back on her claims.