Political leaders rued a “bleak day” for democracy, as the expenses furore on Thursday claimed the jobs of two MPs, and two Labour peers faced suspension over “cash for amendments” allegations.

MPs continued the rush to repay expenses, taking the disclosed total of money handed back to the taxpayer to close to £130,000, amid rising fears in Westminster of a cull of sitting MPs by angry local associations. The scale of the backlash was revealed in a poll of Tory activists by the Conservativehome website, which found that 82 per cent believed Conservative MPs facing questions over their behaviour should be forced to appear before deselection meetings.