LIBERAL Democrat MP Phil Willis and his model daughter have received a death threat after being plunged into the expenses controversy gripping Westminster.

The MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, who lives at Rufforth near York, said a man rang his researcher and threatened to stab him in the belly.

He said he had reported the matter to police and stepped up security at his London home.

The 68-year-old also revealed for the first time how he had suffered a stroke in April 2007, and also collapsed only a fortnight ago at a Harrogate gala because of hypertension, and said his wife Heather and daughter Rachel were now concerned about the impact of the expenses furore on his health.

The Telegraph reported how Mr Willis spent about £15,000 on mortgage interest payments and refurbishing a London flat which was now lived in by Rachel, who became known to millions of TV viewers in the early 2000s as computer character Connie in adverts for internet firm AOL.

But Mr Willis strongly defended his actions, saying: “If offering temporary accommodation to one’s children is wrong-doing, then there is something seriously wrong with our society. Allowing my daughter to use the sofa-bed in my one-bedroom flat hardly appears to be an abuse of the system.”

The wrangle concerns a flat in Kennington Lane which the former head teacher bought in 1998/99, for which he claimed money to re-decorate and carry out electrical repairs.

He said the flat had not been decorated for a decade and he believed no reasonable person would regard painting the flat once in ten years and carrying out electrical repairs as excessive.

He said Rachel had stayed with him there for short periods of time and he never felt it appropriate to make any charge.

In 2007, he “jumped at the opportunity” to buy a neighbouring flat because it was free from the noise of the road.

“I checked with the fees office whether I could move flats and was informed that I could and that, provided no previous charge had been made for fees, I could claim for fees, provided they were within my overall budget.”

He said the flat was in an appalling condition and he claimed £1,700 for decoration. Rachel had later “commandeered” his original flat, on which he paid all mortgage and other bills out of his private funds.

He added: “At no time have I knowingly made claims that attempted to abuse the additional costs allowance.” He also backed Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg's campaign for capital gain made through taxpayers' money to be returned to the fees office on sale of the property, which in his case means both flats.