Ken Clarke answers urgent question on Bilderberg

Conservative Minister Ken Clarke said the Bilderberg meeting - whose latest annual gathering has ended in Watford - did not take decisions and did not have any resolutions.

Mr Clarke said he had been on its steering group for 10 years, but was stepping down after his term of office ended.

Answering an urgent question in the House of Commons, he said: "I am trying to guess at what on earth people are asking a Parliamentary question about it for, and what they are interested in."

He said people attended as individuals, not representing any organisation, and it was "one of many political gatherings I attend".

But Michael Meacher claimed the prime minister and other MPs had attended in an "official capacity" and that "130 of the world's decision makers don't travel thousands of miles simply for a cosy chat."

The Labour MP added: "We, the public, are entitled to ask some questions and to hold them to account."