OF all of the members of the New Labour generation, Alan Milburn has strong claims to have been the most adept at avoiding controversy.

Even when he was handed "the poison chalice" of the Department of Health, the Darlington MP never put a foot wrong.

When he sensationally quit the Government, declaring that he simply wanted to spend more time with his family, the national newspapers refused to believe that there wasn't more to it.

But the anticipated sex scandals never surfaced and the media had to accept that it really was the case of a politician choosing his family over his career.

Yesterday, the squeaky clean Mr Milburn found himself at the centre of a national newspaper story raising questions about a £95m NHS contract being awarded to a company which employs him as a £30,000-a-year consultant.

The Mail on Sunday accused the Government of "cronyism" for giving a contract for mobile MRI scanners to Alliance Medical, whose parent company employs Mr Milburn. The announcement was said to have been made by his close personal friend, Health Minister John Hutton.

Mr Milburn described the story as "utter claptrap" but declined to comment any further.

We are sure that nothing untoward has gone on and that all proper procedures were followed.

But perception is everything in politics. It is not just about whether rules have been broken but whether the man in the street will accept that there have been no shady dealings. People don't trust politicians - not even Mr Milburn.

Having taken a lucrative consultancy post with a private health company so soon after quitting as Health Secretary, Mr Milburn has left himself open to allegations of having a conflict of interest.

He has provided ammunition for the Opposition.

And, after all, isn't it exactly the sort of thing the Labour Party took great delight in attacking the Tories over not so very long ago?