The Home Office has hit back at critics who have mocked the Home Secretary over her apparent lavish spending of public money.

A report by the Byline Times has suggested the Government department spent around £77,000 on purchases from SP Beautifil Brows in March 2020.

Other costs, such as £30,000 to Global Beauty Products Limited and more than £5,000 to Primark, were also mentioned in the report.

No details were given on what was purchased during each transaction and which Home Office employee made them.

But the report has led to Witham MP Priti Patel being at the centre of a stream of jokes, with some claiming she had made the purchases to get her eyebrows done.

The Home Office has defended the purchases and insisted Ms Patel was not behind any of the purchases.

In a statement on Twitter, the department said: “It is wrong to claim the Home Office expenses that have been circulated today are the Home Secretary's. They are department wide and for vital equipment like PPE.

“It is completely false to say the Home Office has spent money on beauty products, it was PPE.

“We make no apology for buying PPE to keep our staff safe during the pandemic.

“The spending in Primark was for asylum seekers who would have not had appropriate clothing when arriving in the UK.

“We are committed to delivering the best value for money for the British taxpayer, making sure every pound is spent in the most effective way.”