A NORTH-EAST mother has brought the row over the MMR vaccine even closer to home for Health Secretary Alan Milburn.

Michelle McFadden-Jewers, whose father was best man for Mr Milburn, is planning to invoice the Darlington MP for the cost of giving her son separate measles, mumps and rubella jabs.

Mrs McFadden-Jewers, 36, is furious she has had to pay for the alternative to the combined MMR vaccination.

The first jab was given to 14-month-old Benjamin on Sunday at a private clinic in Darlington's Woodland's Hospital, in the heart of the Mr Milburn's constituency.

Now the mother-of-two, from Gateshead, has threatened to cause "as much embarrassment as possible" to the Government over the MMR controversy.

"I am sending Mr Milburn the bill," said Mrs McFadden-Jewers. "I want the money back. The Government should give people the choice not to have MMR."

The local government officer - who revealed she used to borrow punk records from Mr Milburn - hopes her action in sending the £80 bill for each jab to the family friend will encourage other parents to make a similar protest.

Her aim is an independent inquiry into the safety of the MMR jab and its alleged links with autism.

The Department of Health insists the MMR jab is safe.

Both Michelle's husband David, 36, and her father Alec, 55, are backing her move.

Her father - who was a trade union activist for years in the North-East and is now TUC president on Merseyside - said: "Alan used to babysit Michelle. He's been a friend for 20 years."

Referring to the MMR issue, he added: "When the public have lost confidence in the Government over MMR, which they have, it can't be obstinate and not listen."