There are few surprises for regular Leicester Mercury readers in the publication of David Taylor's expenses, writes Lee Marlow.

Mr Taylor, 62, MP for North West Leicestershire, was one of the first politicians to open his four-year expense claims to public scrutiny when he came to the Leicester Mercury offices last month and went though his claims, item by item.

We printed a breakdown of his expenses, which included claims for a £995 armchair, an £800 TV and set-top box, a £1,200 bed and a £347 footstool, which was struck off by parliamentary officials as "excessive."

He admitted that some claims showed a "lack of judgement" and paid back £8,003 – money which covered every household item he had bought. He cashed in an ISA to pay the money back.

The lion's share of the £78,762 he claimed was for mortgage interest, utility bills and council tax.

"I did try to bring out into the open every possible controversial claim or receipt," he told the Mercury yesterday.

Among some of the smaller claims listed in Mr Taylor's expenses is a £3 receipt for John Lewis face wash – "I honestly can't remember claiming for that," he said.

Mr Taylor also pays rent for his constituency office to the NWL Labour party, which owns the building in Hotel Street, Coalville. He pays around £650 per month.