DARLINGTON MP Alan Milburn, a former Health Secretary, has got a £25,000 job to advise the manufacturers of Pepsi and Walkers Crisps on health matters, and must suffer four meetings a year for this (Echo, May 12). I leave the maths to you.

I would have thought that such companies would have in their employ at least one person who would know about this subject - "in detail" - that would save them this burden.

This proves that our elected representatives, who are more than adequately compensated, along with gold-plated benefits at taxpayers' expense, do not have enough to do.

Maybe if he becomes Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, with his new-found "moral compass", will address this type of unseemly "dash for cash" attitude in his commitment to rebuild the trust of the British people in their politicians.

Only time will tell if he will/can clean up the political process in our favour.

M Hawkins, Langley Park, Durham.