The senior partner in the Merseyside law firm, Kirwans, said: “Day after day, night after night, the reputation of our Parliament is being besmirched by MPs from all sides on the take.

“Millions of hard-working, law-abiding people are rightly disgusted by each new revelation to emerge in what has been the darkest week in the history of Parliament.

“I have, therefore, taken the decision to show voters in Wirral West that there is an alternative at the ballot box to this immoral and shameful system.”

He added: “There will therefore be no claims for fixing leaks under tennis courts, repairing moats, non-existent mortgages and bags of manure. There will be no flipping of homes or claims on two second homes. There won’t even be claims for kettles, TVs and ironing boards.

“In announcing my candidacy to become Independent MP for this constituency, I pledge that I will not take a single penny in expenses, other than the cost of travel.

“This means I will pay for a second home in London out of my own pocket and not be dependent upon the taxpayer.”

“If by throwing my hat into the ring I can make a small contribution towards the huge task of cleaning up our Parliament, then I will have been a cause for good.

“I hope, too, that my actions encourage other similarly disgusted people to seek to challenge the status quo in their constituencies the length and breadth of Britain.”