Mr Duncan, who is responsible for overseeing the Conservative Party's policy on expenses, sought reimbursement from the taxpayer for a £3,000 bill from his gardener. Under parliamentary rules MPs are only permitted to claim for goods and services incurred as part of their of their work.

“An amount of £3,194.50 for gardening/landscaping has initially been withheld,” the fees office wrote in a letter to Mr Duncan sent four days after he submitted the invoice. “This is because we are concerned that your claim may be considered excessive within the spirit of the proviso ‘wholly, necessarily and exclusively on Parliamentary duties.’”

In the letter, published by Telegraph.co.uk today , Mr Duncan was told his claim would not be paid until he clarified his position.

The document appears to contradict Mr Duncan's comments yesterday when he insisted he had withdrawn the claim after contacting the fees office himself.

“It was I who raised the issue with the Fees Office and although it was a legitimate claim, we agreed that it might be seen as too large a single item and therefore I did not claim it.”

Mr Duncan, the shadow leader of the House of Commons, did not submit the claim for gardening again.

The scale of the gardening claims, will add fuel to the debate over whether expenses by some MPs can be justified as entirely necessary for their parliamentary work. The Telegraph is disclosing details from politicians of all parties as part of its investigation into the expenses system.

Telegraph.co.uk