Some candidates in the next general election are seeking an inquiry into whether a near-doubling of allowances has made it harder to defeat sitting MPs.

The Times says that MPs are using budgets of almost £100,000 a year to campaign at taxpayers’ expense.

Marcus Wood, Tory candidate for Torbay, is to ask the Electoral Commission to investigate.

He said: "They allow MPs to be sitting too pretty. The public want to keep MPs on their toes, which is one way of getting a good service out of them."