Sutton’s Conservative MP has been accused of failing to declare nearly £2,000 in election campaign spending.

Paul Scully was among 24 Tories alleged to have benefited from the party’s RoadTrip “battle buses”, which shuttled supporters to marginal seats ahead of the May 2015 vote, at no cost to his local campaign.

The Conservative’s national HQ footed the bill for the buses, which the Daily Mirror today claimed amounted to about £2,000 per candidate.

Mr Scully was paid a late visit by the battle bus, which arrived in Sutton on May 7, the day of the general election.

He did not declare associated bus, hotel and food costs estimated to be worth £1,850.82, the newspaper alleged.

But the Sutton and Cheam MP denied that the battle bus was part of his local campaign and accused the Mirror of “layers of assumptions”.

He told the Sutton Guardian: “My return for election expenses relating to the 2015 election was completed and returned by my election agent in accordance with the law.

"I am aware that Conservative Central Headquarters campaigned across the UK to secure the election of a Conservative Government, including in seats such as mine.

"Such campaigning would be part of the national return not within our local return.

"It would appear in this instance that the Daily Mirror has taken an interesting story and added layers of assumptions.

"I am not aware of any of the volunteers, who were largely from London, feeling the need to stay over at hotels in Sutton whilst supporting the party here.

"My election expenses return included all items authorised by my election agent for use in my campaign and I signed the required declaration on that basis."

Mr Scully declared spending on £12,461.20, more than £3,000 lower than the legal limit, meaning he would not have broken the law had the bus costs been included in his local budget.

But Emily Brothers, who stood for Labour against Mr Scully in Sutton and Cheam, said: "Paul Scully believes no wrongdoing has happened, but it seems battle buses were turning up to ferry people to his seat and this was described as 'national spend'.

"It isn’t an adequate explanation and concerns shouldn’t be dismissed.

"National spend in elections should be about billboard posters, party broadcasts and generic leaflets. It should not be used to support specific local campaigns.

"That’s why both Paul Scully and the national Tory party needs to explain how they can really justify this sort of spend."

Former Liberal Democrat MP for Sutton and Cheam, Paul Burstow, who lost his seat to Mr Scully by 3,921 votes, declined to comment on the Mirror’s allegations.

He said: “I don’t want to appear to be slinging mud. I have moved on in my life and I’m not prepared to make a comment.”

Breaching election spending limits is a criminal offence and carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail for any MP or election agent involved.

Breaking the spending limit could see guilty parties jailed for one year, or face an unlimited fine.