Dr Ros Altmann, the Conservative government’s pensions minister, has clarified her reasoning behind being a member of three major political parties.

Earlier this week the Labour Party revealed that it has expelled her following checks for its leadership election.

Altmann (pictured) was previously a director of Saga and has made a peer by the prime minister so she could join the government.

“[I’m] upset at reports of me voting in Labour Leadership election. Of course I didn’t and had no intention of doing so,” she said.

“I joined three main parties as [an] independent policy adviser to keep an eye on each party’s policies in my areas of interest ahead of the Election.

“[I] paid my membership of all parties – never hidden who I am. Labour didn’t pick it up despite their ‘scrupulous’ checks until media called them.”