by political editor Paul Francis

Maidstone and Weald MP Ann Widdecombe (Con) has warned that the furore over allowances could result in extreme parties being represented in Parliament at the next election.

The MP also says she is concerned that the ongoing scandal and reforms to the system may deter people from wanting to stand for Parliament and has questioned aspects of David Cameron’s proposals to stop the system being abused.

Her comments come as several MPs exposed by the Daily Telegraph say they intend to pay back some of the allowances they claimed.

Miss Widdecombe, a former minister, said: “I have never known Parliament to be held in such contempt. If this goes much deeper, people will turn against the main parties and will not care whether their MP has done any of this - they will not want to listen.

“They will simply say 'a plague on all your houses’. I would not be surprised to see some extreme parties represented at Parliament next time and that is bad news for everybody,” she said.

While she accepted reforms were needed, it was important they did not act as a bar to people who had ambitions to become MPs.

“The inevitable result of all this is that the system will be tightened up so much that if you are on a modest income, it will be quite difficult to aspire to become an MP.

“An awful lot of people come into Parliament without a great deal of independent income or with Trade Union sponsorship. We do not want to go back to the days when the only people who could afford to sit in Parliament were the privileged wealthy on the Tory side and Trade Union-sponsored MPs on the other side.”

She expressed concern that some elements of David Cameron’s plans for his own MPs could also prove detrimental.

“If you are someone on a modest income and your boiler blows up, you will not, under this system, be able to use any part of the second homes allowance to mend it. You will not have the flexibility that we all exercise in our private lives and it is one we take for granted; this would forbid it.”