The European Union is facing an expenses scandal after it had to admit that its senior officials had claimed tens of thousands of pounds to hire private jets and stay at luxury hotels.

Those embroiled include Jean-Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, as well as the head of EU foreign affairs, Federica Mogherini.

The figures, published after three years of “Kafkaesque” delays, reveal that EU officials spent more than £90,000 on chartering planes which are described on their expense claims as “air taxis”.

The disclosures have echoes of the MPs’ expenses scandal exposed by this newspaper, which led to reforms of the British parliamentary system.

Campaigners said that the figures are just the “tip of the iceberg” and are now threatening legal action against the commission unless it releases travel expenses for all of last year.

The published expenses have also been stripped of any information that identifies hotels or itemised receipts.

The disclosures come as the UK considers paying Brussels a £36 billion bill to settle the Brexit divorce when it leaves the EU in 2019, a move which had already prompted a backlash from Conservative Eurosceptics.

A Government source said: “One of the many reasons why people voted for Brexit was Brussels’ love of lavish spending.