Sunak and Tories accused of 'scandalous catalogue of waste' with lavish spending
Rishi Sunak and Tory ministers have overseen a “scandalous catalogue of waste” with lavish spending on the Government’s credit card, a Labour dossier claims.
In total, at least £145 million of taxpayers’ cash was spent across 14 departments over the course of 2021 using Government Procurement Cards (GPCs).
Keir Starmer's party highlighted thousands of pounds in “excessive spending” including extravagant events, expensive restaurants and five-star hotels.
While families across the country worry about the cost of living, Labour’s Deputy Leader Angela Rayner said money had been “frittered away across every part of Government”.
In one instance, failed ex-PM Liz Truss enjoyed slap-up meals with UK officials to the tune of £1,433 at two restaurants in Jakarta on Remembrance Day, the dossier shows.
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The fine dining experience on the Government’s credit card took place in November 2021 when Ms Truss was the Foreign Secretary and on her final leg of a Southeast Asia tour.
Ex-PM Liz Truss served as Foreign Secretary in Boris Johnson's Government (Getty Images)A Foreign Office minister declined to say whether alcohol was consumed at the event in the Indonesian capital but they did confirm Ms Truss’s itinerary did not include a visit to the Jakarta War Cemetery - the site of Commonwealth war graves.
“However, the Foreign Secretary did attend the Remembrance Sunday commemoration in Whitehall,” the minister added at the time.
The dossier the Foreign Office paid over £3,000 for the use of the Heathrow VIP suite used by Ms Truss on her return from Mexico - her first trip as Foreign Secretary.
In January 2022, a payment was also registered by the Department for almost £5,000 to Luna Park - a fairground in Sydney - to host a reception for the ex-Cabinet minister, 70 guests and her Australian counterpart.
An additional £700 was paid to ferry guests across the Sydney Harbour to the event.
Rishi Sunak and Tory ministers are accused of overseeing a “scandalous catalogue of waste” (Getty Images)The dossier adds that in September 2021 the ousted PM Boris Johnson and officials spent £4,445 in a New York restaurant - to the tune of around £177 a head - as previously reported by The Mirror.
But just five weeks later, it adds, a ‘special provision’ was made for food for Border Force staff deployed to Glasgow airport amid a rush of delegates to the climate summit - Cop26.
This consisted “of just £609-worth of sandwiches from Pret a Manger”.
Labour said: “When we consider whether the costs incurred by ministers and senior civil servants on high-end restaurants and catering are justifiable and proportionate, it is worth bearing in mind how they compare to the occasional provision of food for frontline operational staff”.
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The details were compiled through an analysis of official figures and a string of parliamentary questions on the use of Government Procurement Cards (GPCs) - a system introduced in 1997 to allow speedy payments.
Yesterday, extracts of the dossier also showed that Mr Sunak and Tory ministers spent thousands on five-star luxury accommodation while overseas on official business.
In July 2021, the Treasury, then under Rishi Sunak, spent £3,217 on accommodation at the five-star Hotel Danieli in Venice, and £1,361 at the four-star Hotel Bonvecchiati, for the-then Chancellor and 11 other government representatives at a G20 meeting.
Labour’s Emily Thornberry said: “If you went by the Government spending revealed in this report, you would think we were in the last days of Rome, not the worst cost of living crisis for decades.”
She added: “Either ministers do not understand the scale of the problems facing the rest of the country, or they simply do not care.
“They just appear intent on enjoying the perks and trappings of office until the public finally gets the chance to kick them out, and - based on the shameless waste and flagrant excess exposed in this dossier - that day of accountability cannot come soon enough”.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman insisted Mr Sunak would not have been involved in choosing hotels or artwork.
The spokesman said: "On the specific hotel, the hotels for G20 finance ministers and central bank governors, the hotels were recommended by hosts and as such the Prime Minister was not involved in those decisions at all.
"In terms of artwork in the Treasury, the PM when Chancellor was not involved in that decision either.
"It was a non-ministerial decision I believe related to refurbishment of some of the offices."
Downing Street insisted that procurement cards save money for the taxpayer.
Asked if the PM would encourage officials to be as frugal as possible, the PM's spokesman said: "As ever, everyone who spends taxpayers money needs to be aware that they are doing just that and as the Government we are very responsible in how we use these cards.
"But it's important to understand that they are there to serve a purpose and the NAO estimates that using cards typically saves around 35% of transaction costs - or £5 per transaction - compared with traditional."
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