Warm reception for Jowell in Commons

Beleaguered Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell received a warm response from MPs in the Commons today as she made her first appearance since the break out of the scandal over her husband's finances.

Ms Jowell was greeted by cheers from Labour MPs when she appeared in Parliament to answer questions regarding her department.

Earlier Ms Jowell met with the parliamentary standards commissioner Sir Philip Mawer to discuss her Register of MPs Interests entry. Sir Philip concluded that she did not need to amend her entry.

The row stems from a £350,000 gift allegedly received by Ms Jowell's husband, lawyer David Mills, from Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. It has been alleged that this was a bribe given to Mr Mills in exchange for helpful testimony during a corruption trial - a claim that has been strongly denied by Mr Mills.

Ms Jowell was cleared last week of breaching the ministerial code of conduct, requiring her to report the money, because she said she did not know about it until August 2004, by which stage the money had been classified as earnings by the Inland Revenue and tax paid on it.

Ms Jowell, like Mr Mills, has denied that the money came from Mr Berlusconi and denied any wrongdoing.

The couple announced that they were separating on Saturday.

Earlier today, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Tony Blair said that Ms Jowell "continues to enjoy the Prime Minister's full support".

Speaking after a meeting with Pakistani prime minister Shaukat Aziz at Downing Street, Mr Blair said that Ms Jowell did "an excellent job and should be allowed to get on doing it".

The Culture Secretary was also supported by Cabinet colleague Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett, who encouraged her to "tough it out" in an interview with the BBC today.

However, Conservative leader David Cameron said that there were still unanswered questions about the finances of Ms Jowell and Mr Mills. Expressing sympathy for the breakdown of the couple's marriage, Mr Cameron said: "It has been a difficult time, but there are other questions that need answering. There needs to be a better way of judging how ministers have abided by the ministerial code."

However, Conservative MP Nigel Evans hand-delivered a letter to the Culture Secretary regarding the alleged financial dealings before Ms Jowell appeared in the Commons.

Several Labour MPs have also voiced concerns about Ms Jowell's position. Former ministers Kate Hoey and Frank Dobson expressed concerns about her leading the London local elections campaign, while Glenda Jackson said that she should think seriously about resigning.

Both Mr Mills and Mr Berlusconi will find out this week if they will face charges of perjury and bribery in Italy.

There has also been fresh speculation over Mr Mills's finances, when the Observer published claims that he profited on shares in a pub chain in the late Nineties, while his wife was a public health minister.

(KMcA/GB)