IN FOUR years North Somerset's MP Dr Liam Fox has charged the taxpayer more than �20,000 for his mobile phone bills.

IN FOUR years North Somerset's MP Dr Liam Fox has charged the taxpayer more than �20,000 for his mobile phone bills.

Following the publication of all MPs' expense claims on Thursday, the bills from Vodafone were the receipts that stood out the most from Dr Fox's records.

The total between 2004 and 2008 claimed by the Conservative shadow defence secretary for Vodafone bills comes to �21,210.29.

This can be broken down into �5820.45 for 2004/05, �4,270.21 for 2005/06, �5,627.36 for 2006/07 and �5,492.27 for 2007/08.

The largest bill was submitted in August 2004 when Dr Fox claimed �1,569 for his Vodafone bill and his smallest bill during the four years came in at �146 in March 2006.

Dr Fox, who was at a security conference in Colorado last week, has explained the high bills are a result of the travelling he has to undertake in his role as Conservative shadow defence secretary.

He said: "I travel abroad regularly and use my Blackberry for phone calls and data transfer.

"This includes regular trips to see our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as trips to the United States.

"Given the amount I travel, I am currently looking for a cheaper tariff."

The allowances published online last week also reveal Dr Fox claimed �7,650 on food between 2004 and 2008. The claims range from �100-250 each month.

However, this is less than the �400 each MP is allowed to claim for food every month without having to even show a receipt.

Since the revelations over MP expenses, published in the Daily Telegraph over recent weeks, all members of David Cameron's shadow cabinet have been asked to publish their expense claims in real time on the Conservatives website.

Mr Cameron has also put an end to MPs claiming for food shopping.