The former Labour MP Margaret Moran wept in the dock yesterday as she faced charges of fiddling expense claims worth around £80,000.

Ms Moran's alleged fraudulent claims include a £22,500 bill to clear up dry rot at a home in Southampton, £14,805 for boiler repairs and work on her conservatory.

The ex-representative for Luton South looked frail as she appeared at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court and could be heard crying in the dock before District Judge Daphne Wickham entered to preside over the 15-minute hearing.

Dressed in a dark suit, she spoke only to confirm her name and date of birth.

The 56-year-old faces 15 charges of false accounting and six of using a false instrument. It is alleged that she "flipped" her designated second home, making claims for properties in London, Luton and Southampton over a four-year period. Prosecutor Louis Mably told the court that the charges involve a total in the region of £80,000.