A top Treasury civil servant has said Government departments "lost control" of public spending under Labour.  Sir Nicholas Macpherson, permanent secretary of the Treasury, had been giving evidence to the Public Accounts Committee when he made the comments.

Challenged by Conservative MP Jo Johnson over whether he would say the MoD was the only major department to have lost control of its spending, Sir Nicholas replied: "No, I wouldn't."

To watch Jo challenge Sir Nicholas click here

Daily Telegraph: Labour lost control of spending says Brown's Treasury mandarin

The Guardian: Treasury chief says ministries lost control of spending under Labour

Daily Mail: Treasury exposes the full turmoil of Labour's spending: Three Whitehall departments lost control during party's time in power