Epsom and Ewell MP Chris Grayling’s official credit card being suspended by the expenses watchdog has been put down to an “error”.

The transport secretary appeared on a list, with 376 other MPs and Cabinet ministers, who had seen their official cards halted by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) since 2015.

Freedom of Information (FOI) requests by The Daily Telegraph newspaper apparently show rules established in the wake of the expenses scandal 10 years ago are still being frequently broken by politicians.

Mr Grayling’s card was suspended in October 2016 so the expenses could be recovered via offsetting, according to the FOI.

However, the Department for Transport (DfT) claim the suspension was down to a mix-up for which IPSA would later say sorry for the confusion caused.

A spokesman for Mr Grayling said: “In January 2016, IPSA paid £175.57 for constituency email correspondence concerning an update regarding services at the local hospital in Epsom and Ewell and Oyster Cards usage.

“In August 2016, IPSA re-categorised the claim, determining it was a “newsletter” rather than email correspondence, thereby rescinding their previous acceptance.

“In October 2016, after its final assessment of the claim, IPSA said that the amount would be offset against future claims and told Mr Grayling that this wouldn’t affect his payment card.

“When it became clear that this information was incorrect, Mr Grayling paid immediately and in full.

“An IPSA official subsequently apologised to Mr Grayling for the confusion caused.”

Mr Grayling was joined by former foreign secretary Boris Johnson and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn on The Daily Telegraph’s list, published on May 7.

Alongside Mr Johnson the Epsom and Ewell MP has had his credit card suspended once, and Mr Corbyn’s twice, the data obtained through FOIs show.

But they also show some MPs have had their credit cards suspended up to 14 times, with Chloe Smith (Norwich North) and Damian Collins (Folkestone and Hythe) topping the list.

The Daily Telegraph says IPSA tried to block the information from being disclosed because it would have a “chilling effect” on its relations with MPs.

However, a former High Court judge overruled the authority by saying the risk of embarrassing the politicians was an insufficient reason for keeping the information secret.

IPSA chairwoman Ruth Evans said: “Ten years ago, the difficulty of having politicians self-regulate their pay and expenses became all too clear.

“It led to the establishment of IPSA.

“Since then, IPSA has established a clear set of rules for MPs to follow and enforced them fairly. The openness and transparency has become a model for legislatures worldwide.”