The Conservative Party has been given free accountancy advice estimated to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, it has been reported.
According to the Times, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, Ernst & Young and KPMG have all offered their services to the party, seconding staff to MPs as they assess the UK £178 billion budget deficit.
The accountancy firms have also been offering advice on a new tax framework.
However, the move has been called into question by Liberal Democrat treasury spokesperson Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay, who told the news provider: "Expert advice is welcome in opposition parties' policymaking. But the sheer scale of these contributions to the Tories' private offices risks looking like consultants keeping their foot in the door for contracts."
A Conservative Party spokesperson said: "It is a long-established practice for Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives to receive secondments from major accountancy firms."
They added that all of the secondments had been fully declared with the Electoral Commission and on the Register of Members' Interests.
Earlier this month, new research showed that ten per cent of accountants would consider taking a pay cut to secure their ideal job.
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