' Tory MP Claimed £172 for 0.7mile journey '

Conservative MP Speaker John Bercow accused of 'obscene waste' after claiming £172 for 0.7 mile journey


ITV

Thursday 9th February 2017

John Bercow spent £172 bill to be chauffeur-driven to a conference just 0.7 miles away from Parliament.

The journey - from the Commons to Carlton House Terrace - would have cost less than £15 in a taxi and taken around 14 minutes to walk.

The Commons Speaker also spent £367 taking a car to Luton to deliver a speech on how MPs were restoring their reputation after the expenses scandal.

Critics have accused Mr Bercow of "obscene waste", but a source close to the politician insisted he was "always mindful of costs".

A Freedom of Information request by the Press Association also revealed a number of other journeys the Speaker took to the cost of the taxpayer:



£524

official car to visit Archbishop Justin Welby in Canterbury in 2013

£168

a one-way drive from King's Cross station to Speaker's House after a day trip to Leeds in July 2013

£158

Bercow's car to Baroness Thatcher's funeral at St Paul's Cathedral

£289

cost of keeping chauffeur-driven car waiting for five hours while he attended a memorial service

£144

transport bill to dinner organised by charity Stonewall at the Dorchester Hotel


John Bercow has been criticised. Credit: PA Wire
£193

amount Bercow and an aide charged for dinner while staying at a five-star hotel in Burma

£298

cost of having car pick him up in Manchester for a funeral and ferrying him around 'as directed'

£276

cost of taking Bercow and aides to funeral in Salford before dropping back at Manchester Piccadilly

£44

long distance calls made from Mr Bercow's room during a visit to Vienna in May 2013

Mr Bercow is not believed to require an official car for security reasons.

In a statement to ITV News, a spokesman for the Speaker said a car service is often required to "facilitate timing requirements".

One of the Speaker's duties is to represent Parliament at home and abroad.

The Speaker attends funerals and memorials for former parliamentarians as both a mark of respect and as a representative of his parliamentary colleagues.

Additionally, the Speaker is committed to encouraging public engagement with Parliament and regularly visits universities, charities and other organisations around the UK to explain the work of the House of Commons.

The Speaker is always mindful of costs, and travels standard class in the UK and when away from home, stays in hotels that offer value for money.

In some instances a car service is required to facilitate timing requirements. In line with the Speaker's commitment to greater transparency details of these costs have been published on a quarterly basis since 2013.

– Speaker spokesman


The Speaker's aides have defended the cost of the journeys.

But TaxPayers' Alliance said the amount of "hugely expensive chauffeur-driven travel" showed "appalling judgment".

This is an obscene waste of money and shows appalling judgment from whoever made the arrangements.

Hugely expensive chauffeur-driven travel and costly meals abroad don't look good when this Speaker was elected specifically to improve the reputation of Parliament in light of the expenses scandal.

It is impossible to comprehend how some of these bills have spiralled to such a degree and questions must be asked.

This money doesn't grow on trees - it comes straight out of taxpayers' pockets, and it must be treated with more respect.

– Andy Silvester, TaxPayers' Alliance

The Speaker's spokesperson added that overall expenditure for the Speaker's Office, during Mr Bercow's tenure, had fallen.

They said: "The Speaker is committed to cutting costs wherever possible, and the overall expenditure of the Speaker’s Office has fallen during his tenure from £626,029 in 2009/10 to £504,737 in 2014/15, representing a reduction of 19.4 percent since he was elected to the role.

"Whilst the Speaker tries to avoid travelling by car to fulfil his obligations wherever possible, situations do arise where doing so is the only viable option. In line with his ongoing policy of reducing expenditure, he intends to use the car service only in circumstances when it is absolutely necessary."

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"Labour MP John Bercow"

Funny that, because COMMONS SPEAKER has NEVER been labour, but only been conservative as a Councillor & MP. He is now unattached to any party! Wow, this board has got worse.

Do your research please. He was even deputy leader of the Torys at one point.

John Simon Bercow (born 19 January 1963) is a British politician who has been the Speaker of the House of Commons since June 2009. Prior to his election to Speaker, he was a member of the Conservative Party. A former hardline right-winger who changed his views after becoming an MP and at one time was rumoured to be likely to defect to the Labour Party, Bercow's election to the Speaker's chair depended heavily on the backing of other parties, and was deeply unpopular with many of his former colleagues.

He served as a councillor from 1986 to 1990 and unsuccessfully contested parliamentary seats in the 1987 and 1992 general elections. In the 1997 general election, Bercow was elected the MP for Buckingham and promoted to the shadow cabinet in 2001. He held posts in the shadow cabinets of Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Howard. In November 2002, he resigned from the shadow cabinet over disputes concerning the Adoption and Children Act but returned under Howard in 2003. In September 2004, Bercow was sacked after disagreements with Howard.

Following the resignation of Speaker Michael Martin, Bercow announced his intention to stand for the Speakership election on 22 June 2009 and was successful. He remained Speaker and was re-elected in his constituency at the general election on 7 May 2015. He was re-elected as Speaker, unopposed, when the House sat at the start of the new parliament on 18 May 2015.[3]

In 2014 Bercow was appointed Chancellor of the University of Bedfordshire.

Lazy article.

Despite his views, he was actually a Tory MP?

I've changed the title.

Sudden hatchet job because he's criticising Trump and people are claiming he's overstepping his bounds.

She's how Right Wing this forum really is. Gone from "Labour MP", to "Tory MP" to just "MP".

And yet people still listen to the crap spouted by the ridiculous right.

Conservative MP Speaker John Bercow accused of 'obscene waste' after claiming £172 for 0.7 mile journey


ITV

Thursday 9th February 2017

John Bercow spent £172 bill to be chauffeur-driven to a conference just 0.7 miles away from Parliament.

The journey - from the Commons to Carlton House Terrace - would have cost less than £15 in a taxi and taken around 14 minutes to walk.

The Commons Speaker also spent £367 taking a car to Luton to deliver a speech on how MPs were restoring their reputation after the expenses scandal.

Critics have accused Mr Bercow of "obscene waste", but a source close to the politician insisted he was "always mindful of costs".

A Freedom of Information request by the Press Association also revealed a number of other journeys the Speaker took to the cost of the taxpayer:



£524

official car to visit Archbishop Justin Welby in Canterbury in 2013

£168

a one-way drive from King's Cross station to Speaker's House after a day trip to Leeds in July 2013

£158

Bercow's car to Baroness Thatcher's funeral at St Paul's Cathedral

£289

cost of keeping chauffeur-driven car waiting for five hours while he attended a memorial service

£144

transport bill to dinner organised by charity Stonewall at the Dorchester Hotel


John Bercow has been criticised. Credit: PA Wire
£193

amount Bercow and an aide charged for dinner while staying at a five-star hotel in Burma

£298

cost of having car pick him up in Manchester for a funeral and ferrying him around 'as directed'

£276

cost of taking Bercow and aides to funeral in Salford before dropping back at Manchester Piccadilly

£44

long distance calls made from Mr Bercow's room during a visit to Vienna in May 2013

Mr Bercow is not believed to require an official car for security reasons.

In a statement to ITV News, a spokesman for the Speaker said a car service is often required to "facilitate timing requirements".

One of the Speaker's duties is to represent Parliament at home and abroad.

The Speaker attends funerals and memorials for former parliamentarians as both a mark of respect and as a representative of his parliamentary colleagues.

Additionally, the Speaker is committed to encouraging public engagement with Parliament and regularly visits universities, charities and other organisations around the UK to explain the work of the House of Commons.

The Speaker is always mindful of costs, and travels standard class in the UK and when away from home, stays in hotels that offer value for money.

In some instances a car service is required to facilitate timing requirements. In line with the Speaker's commitment to greater transparency details of these costs have been published on a quarterly basis since 2013.

– Speaker spokesman


The Speaker's aides have defended the cost of the journeys.

But TaxPayers' Alliance said the amount of "hugely expensive chauffeur-driven travel" showed "appalling judgment".

This is an obscene waste of money and shows appalling judgment from whoever made the arrangements.

Hugely expensive chauffeur-driven travel and costly meals abroad don't look good when this Speaker was elected specifically to improve the reputation of Parliament in light of the expenses scandal.

It is impossible to comprehend how some of these bills have spiralled to such a degree and questions must be asked.

This money doesn't grow on trees - it comes straight out of taxpayers' pockets, and it must be treated with more respect.

– Andy Silvester, TaxPayers' Alliance

The Speaker's spokesperson added that overall expenditure for the Speaker's Office, during Mr Bercow's tenure, had fallen.

They said: "The Speaker is committed to cutting costs wherever possible, and the overall expenditure of the Speaker’s Office has fallen during his tenure from £626,029 in 2009/10 to £504,737 in 2014/15, representing a reduction of 19.4 percent since he was elected to the role.

"Whilst the Speaker tries to avoid travelling by car to fulfil his obligations wherever possible, situations do arise where doing so is the only viable option. In line with his ongoing policy of reducing expenditure, he intends to use the car service only in circumstances when it is absolutely necessary."

He maybe a Conservative MP but,in my opinion he is not a Conservative

Indefensible, but not nearly as much as a scandal as those UKIP MEP's who have fought to get out of Europe yet still insist on taking an MEP's salary now that they have achieved their aim. I'm amazed that this has not been highlighted by the press.

Typical Tory trousering! But keep the plebs down hey?

She's how Right Wing this forum really is. Gone from "Labour MP", to "Tory MP" to just "MP".

And yet people still listen to the crap spouted by the ridiculous right.

I changed it to Tory MP, which is a fair representation given it originally said Labour MP. No idea why it's been changed to just MP.

Actually, just thought half way through writing this that it should be changed back to Tory MP.

She's how Right Wing this forum really is. Gone from "Labour MP", to "Tory MP" to just "MP".

And yet people still listen to the crap spouted by the ridiculous right.

how has it got anything to do with the right ? It's from itv ??

She's how Right Wing this forum really is. Gone from "Labour MP", to "Tory MP" to just "MP".

And yet people still listen to the crap spouted by the ridiculous right.

how has it got anything to do with the right ? It's from itv ??

Since this story was posted, I TV have removed the article. Since this was also posted on here, it's been edited THREE TIME to suit the Forum owner. That's why it's right wing. First post was "Labour MP" which the Speaker isn't. It got changed then to the TRUTH "Tory MP". It then got changed to just "MP". Obviously because the poster didn't want to slag off the party he supports. It's now back to Labour MP.