A TORY MP in Worcestershire who used to work for Google has refused to criticise the internet giant over its tax affairs - saying parliament is responsible for the "ground rules".

Nigel Huddleston has urged fellow MPs to act as a "responsible parent" instead of expecting the company to hand over millions more voluntarily.

It comes after Google made headlines around the world for agreeing to hand over just £130 million in a decade's worth of back-taxes, with critics accusing it of dodging £1.6 billion in a so-called 'sweetheart' deal.

Before entering the Commons at last year's General Election, Mr Huddleston had a top job at the famous company, working as Google's head of travel.

Speaking in the Commons, he said: "We must remember that Google was only founded in 1998.

"That makes it a teenager and like many of the other major internet companies, they're also teenagers.

"Teenagers make mistakes, they need guiding - and it is up to us and the responsibility of a responsible parent to make sure that we reset the ground rules on behaviour."

In a bid to deflect any criticism during his speech, he also insisted he was not a "spokesman" for the firm.

"The point of whether Google, or indeed any of these internet companies, pays its fair share of tax is a reasonable one," he added.

"Google does many things (but) deciding on tax law is not one of them.

"That is very squarely the responsibility of this place, we make those decisions in here - if we want to change the laws that's our responsibility."

He also hit out at Britain's lack of oversight over tax laws in general, saying some date back to the 1920s and that he questioned whether the current set-up is "fit for purpose".

"Corporation tax, like income tax, is not a voluntary tax - you pay what you owe, no more, no less, according to the law," he said.

Most UK firms pay Corporation Tax on 20 per cent of their profits, but avoidance experts have said Google's back-payment of £130 million was effectively just 2.7 per cent over the last decade.

Even after the extra payment, the internet giant is said to have paid just £200 million in tax since 2005, on estimated profits in the UK of £7.2 billion.

Chancellor George Osborne has called it "a really positive step" but faced severe flak in recent days over it.