Culture secretary Tessa Jowell has become the second cabinet minister to criticise a Labour Party donation by soft porn publisher and owner of Express newspapers Richard Desmond.

"I don't feel comfortable that the party accepts a donation from somebody who earns certainly part of his income from pornography...the world's got to move on; you either talk equality or you act equality," she said.

Her criticism follows that of international development secretary Clare Short, while environment secretary Margaret Beckett is also thought to disapprove of the £100,000 gift.

However, the prime minister has defended Labour's acceptance of it, claiming that, "if someone is fit and proper to own one of the major newspaper groups in the country, there is no reason why we shouldn't accept donations from them".

The row concerned the timing of the donation, which came shortly before then-trade and industry secretary Stephen Byers approved Desmond's takeover of the Express newspaper group.