Jowell gets a £14,500 new office

WHITEHALL has spent more than £14,500 furnishing a new office for Olympics minister Tessa Jowell, MPs have been told.

The former Culture Secretary returned to the Cockspur Street HQ of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in September last year after a spell at the Cabinet Office.

Upon her return, the Department spent £14,656 on the office which "needed to be fully furnished", Ms Jowell revealed in a Parliamentary answer.

Ms Jowell was replaced by Andy Burnham as Culture Secretary in June 2007 and demoted to the post of Olympics minister with a right to attend Cabinet.

She was moved but the DCMS building has now been adapted to accommodate her as well as Mr Burnham.

Ms Jowell apologised to retiring Labour MP John Austin last week for failing to tell him she was visiting his Erith and Thamesmead seat for a party selection battle. She attended a meeting organised by Georgia Gould, who is seeking to succeed Mr Austin.