Sir Elton John, a Labour supporter, has criticised the government over the NHS's handling of HIV and Aids.

Speaking at a fundraising event in Vienna, the singer said he was "disgusted" with the the government. "Every year seeing the amount of aid money allocated to Aids go down is not good," he said.

The attacks forced Downing Street on the defensive. Tony Blair's official spokesman said: "Far from being cut, government funding for HIV/Aids treatment has increased year on year."