Opposition questions Whitehall appointment

The appointment of Geoff Mulgan, one of prime minister Tony Blair's top advisers, to a senior civil service post has reignited opposition concerns about the politicisation of Whitehall.

Mr Mulgan, co-founder of centre-left think-tank Demos, has been appointed through official civil service procedures as director of the performance and innovation unit in the Cabinet Office. Before founding Demos in 1993, Mr Mulgan was a communications lecturer at Westminster University.