Now he’s facing probe over stay at 5-star hotel on his Tunisia trip
JEREMY Corbyn faced further scrutiny over his controversial Tunisia trip last night after he admitted staying in a five-star hotel.
The Labour leader faces a Parliamentary investigation into why he did not declare the visit in 2014.
He attended a conference on the Israel-Palestine conflict in addition to his trip to the graves of Palestinian ‘martyrs’.
He claims he did not do so because the cost of the hotel, flights and meals – paid for by the Tunisian government – was below the £660 threshold for making a declaration.
But that explanation has now been questioned after it emerged he stayed in the plush Le Palace hotel, which boasts rooms of up to £1,700 a night. Labour said yesterday that Mr Corbyn stayed two nights at the hotel.
Critics said it seemed ‘inconceivable’ that the total cost of the trip would have been less than £660.
Labour insisted that Mr Corbyn was staying in a cheap room. Two formal complaints have now been made to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards over the issue.
Le Palace, overlooking the Mediterranean, describes itself as the ‘jewel’ of Tunisia’s business hotels. It has 239 rooms and 44 suites, with its restaurants and bar ‘designed to combine business and relaxation in the greatest tradition of luxury and elegance’.
It is one of three five-star hotels in the upmarket beach resort of Gammarth, 14 miles from the centre of Tunis.
Green velvet chaise longues and chandeliers adorn the lobby, while the dark wood bar area boasts low lighting and comfy chairs.
The hotel also has its own restaurant, spa, outdoor pool and a casino.
Rooms cost from around £100 a night to up to 6,000 Tunisian Dinar, around £1,700, for the Imperial suite, which has two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an adjoining room for security or secretaries.
Guests can enjoy dishes such as rack of lamb or sea bream from the room service menu.
Previous guests include Arabic royalty from across the region. The hotel also boasts the largest suite in the country, called the Cleopatra.
Asked why he did not declare the trip, Mr Corbyn said: ‘It was a perfectly public trip and I made that clear at the time.
‘It was under the threshold that was required to declare.’
When questioned on why he did not declare hospitality paid for by the Tunisian government, he replied: ‘I didn’t declare it because it was under the required level to be declared but I made the trip absolutely public.
‘I made public the fact I was proud to go there in order to promote a Palestinian peace process and indeed it was an all-party parliamentary delegation that attended. There were Liberal Democrat and Conservative parliamentarians there as well and many people from other parts of Europe.’
Conservative deputy chairman James Cleverly said: ‘It seems inconceivable that a multi-day trip like this could come in below the declaration threshold.
‘All MPs have a duty to disclose hospitality like this.
‘If Mr Corbyn made an error, I think he should have the courage to say so.’
Ivor Caplin, chairman of the Jewish Labour Movement, said: ‘We need complete transparency around this trip by Mr Corbyn. That doesn’t seem to be forthcoming at the moment.’
‘I made the trip absolutely public’