Let's party at the MoD...

While the troops in Afghanistan have been divvying up the body armour, officials at the Ministry of Defence have found a better use for their budget.

No less than £12m has been spent on “entertainment” by the MoD – that is £4m in each of the last three years.

The figure was dug out by that most hard headed of members Notts MP John Mann.

Defence Minister Andrew Robathan said: “We use official entertainment to pursue UK security policy interests, facilitate a wider public understanding of the armed forces, and enhance professional contacts within the UK and with other nations.”

He added that he expected the amount to decrease over the next three years.