SIR Vince Cable is expected to be confronted over his party’s behaviour at the General Election after concerns were raised about the spending of a second Liberal Democrat MP.

The UK leader is due to face the press on a visit to Edinburgh today amid a row over the election expenses of his deputy Jo Swinson and Edinburgh West MP Christine Jardine.

The SNP said it defied belief that Ms Jardine could have reported spending less than them in Edinburgh West, given the “deluge” of LibDem leaflets issued to local voters.

Toni Giugliano, the defeated SNP candidate, said there appeared to be a pattern of suspect behaviour by the LibDems and said that if Ms Jardine had reported her expenditure in the same way he had she would have been “well over” the legal limit.

Ms Swinson also faces questions in East Dunbartonshire after reporting she spent £210 below the legal limit there - but only after she disregarded almost £7000 of costs.

After the 2015 General Election, the LibDems were fined £20,000 for failing to declare almost £185,000 of spending in what the Electoral Commission called a “systemic failure” to follow rules.

Ms Jardine, 56, reported spending £11,314 out of a maximum £12,995 in Edinburgh West, compared to £11,827 for Mr Giugliano.

However her total omitted around £3000 of leaflet costs on the basis the material only partly promoted her as the local candidate, and partly promoted the LibDems at a national level.

Leaflets, letters and newsletters were split 50-50 between local and national totals.

The Electoral Commission allows split spending but says the “main purpose” of items is key.

“You should not split costs if an item is produced mainly to promote a candidate, and uses the party’s name or refers to the party’s policies purely in support of that aim,” it warns.

Some split-cost leaflets were also delivered with a covering letter dedicated to Ms Jardine.

No other candidate, of any party, in Edinburgh’s five seats split their spending this way.

LibDem HQ in London also mailed personalised material to voters in Edinburgh West which is not in Ms Jardine's signed declaration.

It included a leaflet saying “Only the Liberal Democrats can stop the SNP in Edinburgh West” and a letter from Scottish leader Willie Rennie mentioning Edinburgh West five times.

Ms Jardine also reported relatively low distribution costs of £420, for 750 stamps, compared to £1946 for the SNP and £1500 postage declared by Ms Swinson in East Dunbartonshire.

The party said volunteers hand-delivered some 12,000 items in envelopes for Ms Jardine.

The LibDem MSP for Edinburgh Western, Alex Cole-Hamilton, is currently the subject of a police report to the procurator fiscal over alleged overspending on his 2016 campaign.

Mr Giugliano, who also stood against Mr Cole-Hamilton, said: “That’s two years in a row the LibDems are making the headlines over their expenses in Edinburgh West.

“People often asked me during the election how the LibDems could afford to spend so much money given the tight spending limit. Perhaps now is a good time for them to answer that."

Ms Jardine said the SNP was “wasting time on petty questions”.

A LibDem spokesperson said: “All expenditure in this election was apportioned correctly and clearly identified in our election return which is now a matter of public record.

“It’s understandable that the SNP are smarting from a disappointing result, but they should accept that they were beaten in a fair fight in seats right across Scotland, and concentrate instead on the important business of running the country."

The Electoral Commission said complaints about election spending were a police matter.