THE Ministry of Justice spent £204,000 on food and drink in one year when Blackburn MP Jack Straw was the boss.

In the final 12 months of the Labour government, £99,000 was spent at its Whitehall headquarters and another £105,000 by its agencies on ‘refreshments and hospitality’.

Since the Tories took power, this fell to £15,600 for the last full year.

Mr Straw said: “This was spent inside the department and was expenditure of which I was not aware.

“If I had been aware I would have stopped it. My lunches were paid for by me, from a cash float in the office which was kept by my diary secretary.”

His replacement as Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said: “Hardworking taxpayers rightly expect to know that their money is being spent in the best possible way.

"We’re going to keep bearing down on unnecessary costs so that the public are reassured the days of Labour waste are well behind us.”