WITH her old-style cloth-cap socialist past and her humble caravan holidays, one would think that the one-time leadership contender, Cabinet member Margaret Beckett, would be uncomfortable living the high life at the taxpayers' expense.

Not a bit of it. For despite getting the elbow from the presidency of the Board of Trade and a sideways move to Leader of the Commons in the reshuffle of Tony Blair's top team last month, she is hanging on to the grand grace-and-favour apartment in Whitehall's Admiralty House that went with her old job.

Mrs Beckett, you will recall, spent £65,000 of public money renovating the place last year despite already having a flat of her only a mile away. In addition, despite being just a one-bedroom pad, it cost taxpayers £100,000 a year to maintain.

When she was at the Board of Trade, the excuse for all this was that she needed somewhere for formal receptions.

What's the excuse now then - when we are told her new job does not involve much official entertaining?

It seems it's a sop from Tony Blair for her having to make way at the ministry for his Svengali, Peter Mandelson.

So the poor taxpayer picks up the tab for soothing Mrs Beckett's wounded feelings?

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.