Former home secretary David Blunkett, who writes a weekly column for the Sun, is suing its sister papers, the Times and the Sunday Times for libel.
Blunkett claims two stories published in April by both papers were defamatory, and is demanding damages of up to £100,000 from publishers Times Newspapers.
The legal row centres around two stories,headed “Blunkett joins the ministers with a ‘black hole’ in their expenses” and “MPs claim £17,000 in expenses for their extra home”.
The contentious Times article is still on the paper's website but flagged up as being "subject to a legal complaint".
The article says Blunkett claimed £76,363 in expenses to pay for his constituency home in Sheffield over a four-year period and alleges a discrepancy between this and the cost of running the home.
Former Home Secretary Blunkett also seeks an injunction banning the repetition of the allegations at the centre of his claim.
The writ was issued by Tamsin Allen of Bindman and Partners.
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