A call for multi-millionaire Boris Johnson to pay his own £245,000 Partygate legal fees has been put before MPs.
Labour MP Karl Turner has tabled a motion saying it is "inappropriate" for taxpayers to foot the bill and urged the Commons to step in.
The huge sum is being spent defending Mr Johnson in a probe by the Privileges Committee, which is investigating whether he deliberately misled Parliament.
If the cross-party committee finds against him, he could face a suspension or even be forced to fight a by-election. He denies the allegation.
Rishi Sunak has faced calls to intervene and make Mr Johnson, who is MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, cough up.
Mr Turner has put forward an early day motion pointing out that Mr Johnson has earned a fortune since stepping down as PM.
The motion says it is "unacceptable that taxpayers are being forced to foot the bill, not least given that the Rt hon. Member has earned a reported £5 million since he stepped down as Prime Minister".
Mr Turner pointed out that ordinary members of the public are not automatically entitled to Legal Aid if they earn over £12,475.
His motion goes on to say it is "inappropriate for public funds to be used in this manner, not least during a cost of living crisis in which most families are struggling to manage".
He urged MPs to condemn Mr Johnson for requesting public funds, and said cases like this shouldn't happen again.
Mr Johnson should pay his own legal fees, the motion - which is unlikely to be debated or voted on - states.
News of the rise in legal costs, reported by the BBC, have sparked anger.
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner fumed: “This murky arrangement that left taxpayers’ picking up the bill for Boris Johnson’s partygate defence fund is not only without precedent but without justification.
"With working families facing a cost-of-living crisis, it beggars' belief that they should have been left writing a blank cheque for these legal retainers as the ex-Prime Minister further enriches himself.
"Rishi Sunak must explain why he failed to put a stop to this brazen scheme and take immediate steps to ensure his disgraced predecessor returns this money to the public purse.”
Solicitors firm Peters and Peters were awarded a contract last August worth £129,700 to provide Mr Johnson with advice during the investigation.
By January this had risen to £220,000, prompting Labour leader Keir Starmer to tell Mr Sunak during PMQs: : "Surely even this Prime Minister can put his foot down and stand up to his old boss and say he made this mess, he can pick up the bill?"
The Prime Minister snapped back accusing the Labour leader of "carping from the sidelines" and "failing to lead".
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Mr Johnson's legal team is headed by top barrister Lord Pannick, who sat behind him during a bad-tempered grilling in March.
The MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip desperately tried to convince MPs that a leaving party in November 2020 was "necessary" and that he believed he acted within the rules.
In January Cabinet Office permanent secretary Alex Chisholm said such arrangements are normal.
He told the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee: "It is normal, there's an established precedent across multiple administrations that former ministers can be supported with legal representation after they've left office when the matters relate to their time and conduct as a minister."
