WE are all aware how highly the Prime Minister values the support of Rupert Murdoch and his publishing empire.

But to send his Chancellor all the way to Idaho in the USA to attend a Murdoch news executives' conference is surely going too far.

Mr Murdoch, no doubt grateful to have the Chancellor of the Exchequer flying over to attend, did offer to pay for Mr Brown's flight.

But our so-called prudent Chancellor declined his offer. So, using taxpayers' money, Mr Brown, along with three aides, flew to the States at a cost of £30,000.

This is a disgraceful waste of taxpayers' money because this was a private visit with no benefit to Britain.

I have no argument with Mr Brown attending, but either the Labour Party should pay for it or he should.

Mr Brown is constantly urging the British people to show pay restraint. Well, it's time the Chancellor himself showed some prudence and stopped wasting taxpayers' money.

COUNCILLOR D PEARSON, Rawstorne Street, Blackburn.

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