A Conservative MP who wrongly claimed more than �90,000 worth of expenses has said sorry to the House of Commons for being "muddled and naive".

Windsor MP Michael Trend made the apology after the Commons standards and privileges committee recommended he be suspended from Parliament for two weeks.

I am sir, so very sorry Michael Trend

The committee said Mr Trend had "acted negligently rather than with dishonest intent" but said it had to take account of the effect such cases had on public confidence.

MPs on the committee were also worried such a large amount of money was claimed incorrectly and only came to light after newspaper reports, not through the normal scrutiny process.

In a short personal statement, Mr Trend said he apologised "unreservedly" for his mistake and wanted to make his "position clear" before the Commons recess.

'Misunderstanding'

Flanked by colleagues and speaking quietly, Mr Trend told the Commons speaker: "I accept unreservedly the committee's report which finds me muddled and naive in my negligent understanding of the additional costs allowance.

"I apologise again, unreservedly, to you, to the House and my constituents. I am sir, so very sorry."

MPs will vote at a later date on whether to suspend Mr Trend, but are almost certain to endorse the recommendation.

The committee said the MP had incorrectly claimed an annual allowance of �20,000 that was meant to fund London accommodation for MPs from faraway constituencies.

Trend inquiry was seen as a 'test' of Mawer's toughness

Instead, he had wrongly been claiming this allowance for his Windsor house, despite it being his main home.

Mr Trend told the Commons authorities his mistake was caused by a "misunderstanding, honestly and genuinely held" about what expenses he could claim.

He has since agreed to return the overpayment and has announced his decision to stand down at the next General Election.

'Difficult to understand'

Mr Trend's expenses claim has been the subject of an inquiry by Sir Philip Mawer, the new Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

Sir Philip began his inquiry into Mr Trend after he received a letter from elderly piano teacher Roy Birmingham, a Windsor constituent, complaining about the expenses claim.

The standards commissioner said he found it "difficult to understand" how Mr Trend had felt able to sign a certificate in 2000 saying his main home was a friend's house in London.

This was despite his admission he was staying there infrequently at the time, said the report.

Sir Philip said that it was up to the police and the prosecuting authorities to decide whether Mr Trend should be charged with obtaining by deception.

"There are a number of ingredients to the offence which would have to be proved if a prosecution were to succeed; achieving this would not necessarily be easy," he said.

But in claiming such allowances, MPs were subject to criminal law like anyone else.

Election role

Mr Trend, a journalist, was elected to the House of Commons in 1992 as MP for Windsor and Maidenhead, before its boundaries changed to Windsor in 1997.

The son of a former cabinet secretary, he served as a parliamentary private secretary to Tim Yeo and Brian Mawhinney, before becoming a vice-chairman of the Conservative Party, which led him to have a key role in the 1997 election.

He was an early supporter of William Hague's bid for the Conservative leadership and became a spokesman on foreign affairs and latterly on social security.

He returned to the backbenches in 2000, since when he has concentrated on his constituency and on articulating a conservative Anglican view on ecclesiastical matters.

He currently sits on the Commons public administration select committee.

Mr Trend was returned in the 2001 election with a majority of 21.1% over the Liberal Democrats - the Conservatives' 39th strongest result.

In a letter, the 50-year-old MP told his local Conservative Association on Tuesday that he wanted to "pursue other interests at the conclusion of this Parliament" and was giving early notice of his decision in order that a successor could be chosen.