Labour Minister's Office Podcast Studio: Taxpayers Foot the Bill

A Labour minister has set up his own podcast studio with taxpayers' money, it can be revealed. Chris McDonald used the Parliamentary expenses system to buy £500 worth of microphones and sound-absorbing wooden panels so he could record professional-quality episodes. He also claimed £700 for two cameras and more than £1,200 for a boardroom table for his office, but said they were not being used for the show about his North East constituency. Mr McDonald, appointed Minister for Industry in the autumn reshuffle, insisted all of his purchases were within the rules set out by the watchdog and that the podcast allows local groups to tell their stories. But Joanna Marchong, head of communications and external affairs at the Adam Smith Institute, said: 'It's absolutely extraordinary that taxpayers are kitting out and bankrolling ministers to push their own personal egotistical agendas. 'MPs have a budget for their offices but that does not and should not include expenses to build a personal studio for a podcast that does not deliver anything for taxpayers other than mild entertainment. 'If politicians want to run vanity projects, they should fund them themselves, not dip into the public purse while lecturing taxpayers about fiscal responsibility.' Receipts obtained by the Daily Mail from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) show that in January last year Mr McDonald ordered a 'compact wireless microphone system' costing £294 from Amazon. Then in March he bought a 'studio dynamic' podcast microphone for £59, a £25 microphone cable, two adjustable microphone arms for £45 and a set of 'wood slat acoustic panels' costing £141. They can be seen in the background of videos of his podcast series, which is called Full Steam Ahead in a nod to his Stockton constituency being the birthplace of the railway. It is not known how many voters have listened to the show on platforms such as Spotify, but viewing figures on YouTube show that 266 people viewed the first episode, 99 saw the second and the Christmas special has been watched just 29 times. The MP has promoted his podcast on his social media pages, with the first episode gaining 24 'likes' on Facebook, seven on Instagram and two on Twitter. Mr McDonald said in a statement: 'Full Steam Ahead is not a personal podcast. It is a community-facing platform produced as part of my role as the Member of Parliament for Stockton North, focused entirely on issues, history and people from Stockton, Billingham and Norton. 'The podcast exists to give local voices the time and space they deserve - from community volunteers and local businesses, to sports clubs, artists, historians and campaigners. I started with short social media interviews, but it became clear that this format did not allow people to properly tell their stories. Podcasting is a modern, widely used way of engaging people who do not consume politics through traditional channels. 'All equipment was purchased within IPSA rules, assessed as value for money, and is used solely for parliamentary and constituency work. The podcast is made on a shoestring, in Stockton, with no commercial backing, no sponsorship and no personal income.' Mr McDonald also spent £1,275 from his office allowance on a table but said: 'It is a meeting table used for constituency work with local organisations and stakeholders. It was commissioned from a long-established Stockton furniture maker, supporting a local business with over 150 years of history.' And he spent £329 on a waterproof camera and a further £408.98 for an 'action camera' but said they had so far only been used on visits to local schools and businesses.