The government has diverted lottery cash to pay for projects normally funded by the taxpayer, the Conservatives have claimed.

Speaking ahead of Saturday's 10th anniversary of the National Lottery, shadow culture secretary John Whittingdale insisted that a future Conservative government would only allow funding to be allocated to the arts, sports and charities.

His accusations echo those from former prime minister John Major, who has slammed the government for committing "grand larceny" by using lottery funds for government projects.

Whittingdale praised the lottery for raising billions of pounds for good causes and transforming the cultural, artistic and sporting landscape of Britain.

"However, as John Major has rightly pointed out, under this government it has become steadily more tarnished as ever greater sums have been siphoned off to fund Labour's political priorities," he said.

"The next Conservative government will stop using lottery money to pay for projects which should be the responsibility of the taxpayer.

"We will restore the lottery to its original purpose: to raise funds for the arts, heritage, sport and charities."

'Success story'

Writing in the current edition of  The Parliamentary Monitor magazine, however, culture secretary Tessa Jowell insists that the lottery was a "success story" that had to be reformed.

"We needed to get grants out more quickly and easily. We needed to make a clearer connection between playing the lottery and investment in the good causes," she said.

"We needed to widen public support for the lottery and to make it clearer where the money was going. And we needed to ask people what their priorities were and give local communities more of a say in how their money is spent.

"This was not change for change’s sake. It was needed to keep the public engaged with the lottery, to keep them playing, to keep them trusting in its power for good, and to keep giving them a reason to spend their marginal income on their lottery ticket. "

Jowell added that with millions of lottery players "these principles of engagement and responsiveness are even more important".

"Ten years on, the lottery has changed the face of Britain forever," she said.

"That's not an empty boast, it's a fact. In an era where lottery bashing is a popular sport in some parts of the media, I think we need to say that more often."