Details of prominent British MPs’ expenses have been made public after a three-year legal battle.
The documents, released under freedom of information laws, revealed reminders for the former prime minister Tony Blair to pay water and gas bills, and claims from Mr Blair and his successor Gordon Brown of almost £15,000 between them on doing up their kitchens.
Commons authorities gave up a £100,000 legal bid to keep them secret on Monday.
The papers contain documentation of claims under the Additional Cost Allowance, which covers the expense of running a second home while living away from their constituencies on parliamentary business.
The freedom of information campaigner who requested much of the information said the release showed the authorities had held back to "avoid embarrassment" not to protect their security.
"It is up to constituents to decide whether they believe spending thousands of pounds on new kitchens, house renovations, TV licences and garden maintenance is an acceptable use of public money," Heather Brooke said.
"What is utterly unacceptable is the secrecy of the system and it indicates that MPs did not feel able to justify these expenses to their constituents."
Certain sensitive details on the original documents — including the address of Mr Brown's constituency home and Mr Cameron's mortgage account number — have been blanked out of the photocopies which were made public.
Under the terms of the court ruling, details may be withheld from the public where there are "specific security concerns".
The documents showed Mr Brown's claims include a Sky TV subscription and television licence, utility and council tax bills and charges for service, insurance and ground rent. The then-Chancellor also submitted a bill for £4,471 for refurbishment work on his kitchen in 2005 and £1,396 for painting and decorating in 2006.
Barring one small claim for a telephone bill, Tory leaders David Cameron's expenses seem to consist only of claims for mortgage interest on his second home.
Claims by Mr Blair, who is no longer an MP, related to his Myrobella House home in his former Sedgefield constituency, and they included more than £10,600 for a new kitchen, work to accommodate an Aga cooker and a £515 dishwasher.
Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott claimed £6,707.06 to cover external repairs to his constituency home in Hull in 2005, including replacing windows and sills and supplying and fixing mock Tudor boards to the front gable.
Ex-Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett had a £600 claim disallowed in 2006 for plants for her garden.
The Commons authorities opposed their release on the grounds that it would inevitably result in the private addresses of the MPs becoming public, putting their security at risk, but last week the High Court backed an Information Tribunal ruling that they must be handed over.
The documents cover a range of years between 2001 and 2006, which were specified in the original requests under the Freedom of Information Act, and do not provide a full set of expenses covering the entire period.
But they give a snapshot of the sort of items for which the MPs claimed allowances under ACA, which Commons rules state should "reimburse Members for necessary costs incurred when staying overnight away from their main home for the purpose of performing parliamentary duties".