A Whitehall boss has admitted that the government is "paying too much" to law firms just weeks after the government's spending watchdog criticised the level of Freshfields' fees on the £757m sale of Eurostar.

The government completed the sale of its 40% stake in Eurostar for £757m earlier this year, but the sale has proved controversial with the government spending watchdog the National Audit Office finding earlier this month that it left the taxpayer up to £2.3bn out of pocket.

The NAO report also criticised the fees paid to magic circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, which was paid £2.8m for its work on the deal.