A hospital has admitted faking an image of a government minister in a publicity photograph for a building project reports the BBC.

Culture Minister James Purnell turned up late for a photoshoot with other MPs at Tameside General Hospital and allegedly agreed to be photographed alone with his image being merged into the main picture using photo-software so he appeared to be present with the other MPs.

Purnell told the BBC: “I didn’t think a faked photo would be produced and indeed I didn’t see this photo before it went out and if I had done it wouldn’t have agreed to it.”

But a statement from the hospital stated: “Due to his hectic ministerial schedule James Purnell was late for the photo-shoot, and arrived shortly after the other MPs had to leave.

“All the MPs had gone to great efforts to show their support, and as we would not be able to stage a repeat of this historic day for the hospital, we decided to take a photograph of Mr Purnell in the same spot very shortly after, and merge it with the earlier photograph, to which Mr Purnell kindly consented.”