SHADOW culture secretary Maria Eagle has waded into a row about the future direction of the National Media Museum, demanding that it halts its planned changes to hold a full review.

Ms Eagle visited Bradford today to meet campaigners, arts organisations and MPs concerned at the decision to transfer a world-renowned photography collection to London as the museum changes its focus to concentrate on science and technology.

She said: "I'm just very shocked that they think the solution is to move the collection that has made this museum famous world-wide.

"It's all about money."

Ms Eagle demanded that the government step in and halt the controversial transfer of the Royal Photographic Society collection to London's V&A museum.

She said she was planning to meet museum bosses after Easter to make her case.

Ms Eagle also called on the museum to hold a full consultation into its new science focus and whether "it's the right way to go", accusing bosses of not consulting with local arts groups and MPs about the change in direction.

She said all three of the city's MPs had been working hard to make sure "this fine institution remains as fine as it has always been, instead of changing completely from what it has been into something totally different".

Ms Eagle's comments seemingly put her at loggerheads with Labour-run Bradford Council, which supported the museum's change in focus after it narrowly avoided a closure threat in 2013.

But Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, executive member for culture at the council, downplayed suggestions the council was content to see the collection leave the city.

She said: "Science is a focus for the Media Museum, as it is for the Bradford district. However we don't want to lose such great art collections to London.

"Science and art don't have to be mutually exclusive. At the route of all this sadly is money, the National Media Museum is not financed as well as it once was."

Judith Cummins, Labour MP for Bradford South, who has been heavily involved in the campaign to keep the photography collection in Bradford, added: "I think Bradford Council have been very supportive. I also acknowledge that this has been a cross-party campaign, which I think is crucially important."

Labour MP for Bradford West, Naz Shah, said the museum had shown "some shortcomings in communication" during the changes.

The council's Conservative group leader Simon Cooke and former Government minister Eric Pickles have both been vocal opponents of the transfer of the collection to London.

But culture minister Ed Vaizey has expressed support for the museum's new direction, saying it was already bringing in more visitors as a result.

Yesterday, Cllr Cooke said Ms Eagle had his "full support", saying they would only win the campaign to keep the collection in the city if politicians put on a "united front" and put party politics to one side.

The National Media Museum declined to comment.