England 2018 chiefs insist they are acting "within the spirit and letter" of bidding rules after being criticised for making gifts of designer handbags to FIFA executive members.

Shadow sports minister Hugh Robertson claims the gifts are "a massive misjudgement" by the World Cup bid leaders.

The handbags, which will go to all 24 FIFA executive committee members for their wives, cost the England bid £230 each, although they may retail for more.

They were chosen to represent the best of British handicraft and fall inside FIFA's guidelines about gifts that bidding countries can offer.

An England 2018 spokesman said: "FIFA have a set of guidelines for all bidders which includes direction on what constitutes an acceptable campaign gift. All our gifts are carefully chosen so as to be within both the spirit and letter of that law."

Richard Caborn, the Prime Minister's bid ambassador, told BBC Sport: "There are rules set down by the governing bodies, and it is about making sure we follow those rules, which we have."

But Robertson said the decision was a flawed one especially at a time when the bid was looking to public money to help fund the campaign.

Robertson said: "I think it is a massive misjudgement particularly in the middle of an economic recession and a time when the bid is looking for public funds.

"If other bid countries are doing this or worse FIFA need to have an urgent review of the rules and make sure this sort of thing cannot happen in future.

"In addition I think it's very clumsy in public relations as it sends out entirely the wrong messages about England's bid."