MP in the dog house

Colleagues of the and Energy Minister at the Department of Energy and Climate Change thought he was barking mad when he put his pet dachshund’s bean-bag in the office microwave, normally used by staff to heat up their lunches.

Mr Barker said he only used the microwave on one occasion to heat up the small bean bag in the winter when his dog, Otto, was 10 weeks old, and admits: “In hindsight it probably wasn’t a very clever thing to do.”

Mr Barker said he apologised to colleagues and has not used the office microwave to warm his pet pooch’s cushion since.

Mr Barker said his four-legged friend doesn’t go into the office with him that often as he isn’t a fan of the bright lights of the city, preferring a quieter life down south.

Otto also appears to be building a fan base with local residents and often accompanies the MP on constituency visits.