TOBIAS Ellwood largely escaped criticism and won praise in his first public meeting as he opened up his expenses - but was not afraid to dish out a few digs himself.

The anger from the audience of 55 at Bournemouth School for Girls was mainly directed at the system and not Mr Ellwood, and little time was spent discussing his own claims, which people seemed largely to accept.

Mr Ellwood has not been named by The Telegraph and called the three meetings himself saying he wanted to be transparent and open.

And he did not shy away from criticising others - he said some MPs should go to jail.

He described some as "idiots" who were parachuted into safe Tory seats or put into Labour seats by union backing.

Mr Ellwood's views included:

+The Wintertons, who claimed £80,000 expenses on a flat owned by a trust fund that was controlled by their children, "are lovely individuals but had done something morally corrupt and should go."

He then added they were very active MPs.

+ Oliver Letwin had done something "silly" by claiming £2,145 to replace a leaking water pipe under his tennis court.

+ He criticise MPs claims for several items as "completely wrong."

Mr Ellwood, MP for Bournemouth East, revealed he claimed £66,403 on the second homes allowance over the three years for which figures were available, £381 short of the £66,784 he could have claimed.

For the first two years the money mainly went a mortgage and refurbishment at a flat in Battersea.

At that time he was living at his girlfriend's, and he said if he had designated that property as his second home it could have led to accusations he had taken advantage of the system.

He then switched his second home to his new house in Bournemouth and in 2007/8 claimed the full allowance of £23,083, including £21,602 in mortgage payments.

Audience comments included: = Green Party campaigner and teacher Susan Chapman asked how he could justify having two homes when tens of thousands of people were having their homes repossessed.

= To applause one resident said he was appalled at the lack of integrity that had been shown by MPs and that people had "ripped the pants" out the system for their own gain.

= A Boscombe businessman who had to work abroad for two years said second homes were necessary and cheaper than hotels.

= A person asked if there had been a conspiracy between MPs and the fees office?

Mr Ellwood replied: "I would probably say yes. Definitely a group of people from the fees office should be held responsible for what they have done."

He admitted to voting last year against the expenses information being revealed saying he had not understood the legislation's details and followed the advice of a colleague.

"I was wrong. I am sorry about that. I understand why people would worry that I wasn't being open. It was a mistake. I am human like anybody else," said Mr Ellwood.

He said the current problem was the lack of structure to the rules and that older MPs had used the allowance to hunt round for claims after their second home mortgages had been paid off.

Mr Ellwood described his own background as moderate and said: "I thought I can't go into politics, I don't have the money.

"Then I met of the some politicians when I worked for MP Tom King back in 1997.

"And I met these guys, some of whom were about to be kicked out, and I saw what they were doing and they treated it like a club, and that's when I realised I can do better than you, that what's going to make me stand.

"I saw what they were doing and abusing the positions and they used it as a club.

"And I am pleased to see they are finally getting their comeuppance and they are leaving the House of Commons in shame."

Mr Ellwood said The Telegraph had "done Britain a favour" and hoped parliament and the expenses system would be reformed.

He now wants MPs pay to be set by an independent body and said the expenses problem had partly arisen because MPs salaries had not been addressed.

He said the allowance came about in the 1970s at a time when MP Dennis Healey has said there was no way you could be an MP without a second job.

Without adequate pay or expenses he said: "It would be playground for the extremely wealthy or those taking a second job and that can't be any good at all."

He said he had analysed very carefully whether he could commute but the late working hours of parliament would see him getting home by 1am after late votes two or three times a week and potentially getting back up at 6.50am to return.

He said: "You can do it for a while but I don't think I would keep my wife very long if the only time I saw her was for five hours in the dark of the night.

Mr Ellwood employs five members of staff at a cost of £66,091 last year and said this is because he is a front bencher for and is an active MP.

He added: "It requires me to have a bigger staff than say Sir John Butterfill [Bournemouth West] who is retiring and who sits on the back benches."

He was hesitant at the start of the meeting but became more confident as the event wore on as the angry scenes failed to materialise.

Dave Stokes, 48, a civil engineer from Strouden Park, and Mr Ellwood's Labour challenger for the seat, said afterwards: "He was very transparent and I don't think he has anything to be concerned about."

Sally Tucker, 59, a carer from Muscliff, said: "He tried to be honest but he didn't get the point about the two homes. My husband worked away for years and I had small children and we don't get a second home."

Bournemouth Conservative Cllr Nick King said: "He justified himself and said sorry and that's what's everyone needs to show."

When spoken to by the Echo afterwards Mr Ellwood seemed irritated by questions about the arrangement for his second home because he did not think they were in the public interest.

Mr Ellwood moved to a barn conversion in Bournemouth in March 2007, then designated it his second home and claimed £21,602 in mortgage payments in 2007/08.

Asked whether this was fair compared to constituents wages Mr Ellwood said: "[MPs] get £24,000 to help you support your second home. The running costs are more than that. You choose what receipts you want to put in. It's up to individual MPs."

When it was noted he would eventually own two properties either partly refurbished and mortgaged by the tax payer Mr Ellwood replied: "That's no different from anybody else [in Parliament]."

Mr Ellwood told the meeting he had not sold any taxpayer funded property.

When asked whether he would sell it when he left parliament he said that was a hypothetical question and: "You have need to ask other MPs [what they did]. It depends on their own circumstances."

He urged MPs to hold similar meetings to his own.

"My colleagues thought I was mad. They said Tobias, what are you doing, you have not had a big splash in The Telegraph. In a couple of days you would have weathered it.

"But it's that sort of club feeling that has got us into this trouble, the lack of exposure of members of parliament to the electorate."