Wednesday, February 15, 2023
No credit given
Having gone on to mess up the economy, it is no surprise that Liz Truss also made her mark on the finances of the Foreign Office, and not in a good way.
The Guardian reports that the former Prime Minister oversaw a major jump in spending on government credit cards at the Foreign Office when she took over, with spending on restaurants, bars, leisure activities and hotels all rising sharply during her time in office.
The paper says that Truss is already under pressure to explain a number of items of spending which she approved, including meals at high-end restaurants, large social functions and the use of Heathrow’s VIP suite, but their analysis suggests that she oversaw a broader culture of high spending when she was in one of the most powerful jobs in government:
The Foreign Office is one of the heaviest users of the cards, often using them to pay for food, wine, events and furnishings for their offices and residences around the world.
A Foreign Office source said over the weekend that officials needed to spend on cards to be able to engage with dignitaries from other governments. But the information uncovered by Labour showed that they often spent heavily on events involving Truss even when no foreign dignitary was present. In November 2021, for example, she and her team enjoyed two meals in Jakarta during a trip to Indonesia at a cost of £1,443.
The Guardian’s analysis of the full figures show a marked increase in spending on GPCs under Truss, albeit during a period during which travel and entertainment became easier as lockdowns and travel bans eased.
In the 11 months from October 2021 to when she became prime minister in September 2022, the department spent just over £30m on the cards – 50% more than the last full 11 months of Raab’s tenure.
Labour has published more detailed data for 2021, which shows that during Raab’s nine months in office, officials spent £114,363 on “leisure activities”. In the three months of Truss’ tenure, this came to £158,304.
During Raab’s nine months, civil servants spent £134,016 on restaurants and bars, compared with £228,637 during Truss’ much shorter tenure.
And while Raab’s Foreign Office spent £640,660 on hotels in 2021, that increased to £668,378 when Truss was foreign secretary.
Nice work if you can get it.
The Guardian reports that the former Prime Minister oversaw a major jump in spending on government credit cards at the Foreign Office when she took over, with spending on restaurants, bars, leisure activities and hotels all rising sharply during her time in office.
The paper says that Truss is already under pressure to explain a number of items of spending which she approved, including meals at high-end restaurants, large social functions and the use of Heathrow’s VIP suite, but their analysis suggests that she oversaw a broader culture of high spending when she was in one of the most powerful jobs in government:
The Foreign Office is one of the heaviest users of the cards, often using them to pay for food, wine, events and furnishings for their offices and residences around the world.
A Foreign Office source said over the weekend that officials needed to spend on cards to be able to engage with dignitaries from other governments. But the information uncovered by Labour showed that they often spent heavily on events involving Truss even when no foreign dignitary was present. In November 2021, for example, she and her team enjoyed two meals in Jakarta during a trip to Indonesia at a cost of £1,443.
The Guardian’s analysis of the full figures show a marked increase in spending on GPCs under Truss, albeit during a period during which travel and entertainment became easier as lockdowns and travel bans eased.
In the 11 months from October 2021 to when she became prime minister in September 2022, the department spent just over £30m on the cards – 50% more than the last full 11 months of Raab’s tenure.
Labour has published more detailed data for 2021, which shows that during Raab’s nine months in office, officials spent £114,363 on “leisure activities”. In the three months of Truss’ tenure, this came to £158,304.
During Raab’s nine months, civil servants spent £134,016 on restaurants and bars, compared with £228,637 during Truss’ much shorter tenure.
And while Raab’s Foreign Office spent £640,660 on hotels in 2021, that increased to £668,378 when Truss was foreign secretary.
Nice work if you can get it.
