A North-East Labour MP criticised the Government last night for excluding him from influential parliamentary committees.

Former chief whip Derek Foster, MP for Bishop Auckland, County Durham, was chairman of the Employment Committee before the General Election, and criticised the presentation of unemployment figures in the region.

He has also been outspoken in calling for a review of the Barnett funding formula, campaigning for a North-East assembly, and demanding an independent public inquiry into foot-and-mouth.

But he now finds himself out in the cold, after his committee was scrapped.

Backbenchers have been angered by the removal of Mr Foster and fellow mavericks Gwyneth Dunwoody and Donald Anderson.

Last night, Mr Foster said: "After four years' successful chairmanship of the Employment Committee, I rather regret that I am not thought to be good enough to chair another select committee."

Parliamentary sources suggested it was "pretty clear the Government wanted to get rid of Derek".

They claimed a controversial Employment Committee report shortly before the election had angered ministers.

The report said there were not enough jobs in the areas with the highest unemployment, even though nationally it might look like there were sufficient vacancies.

A source claimed the report "got up the Prime Minister's nose because it virtually disproved his argument about there not being a North-South divide".

Mr Foster's former committee was not recreated - ostensibly because of a reorganisation of Whitehall, which saw the Department of Education and Employment split between the new Department of Work and Pensions, and the Department of Education and Skills.

The MP had hoped to be appointed to another committee, given his experience and senior position in the House of Commons.

He was influential in a high-powered report from the Commons Liaison Committee, which aimed to redress the balance between the Government and Parliament.

Mr Foster was hoping to to work with the new Leader of the House, the sacked Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, to increase the influence of the Commons and backbenchers