How the king of the freebies splashes your cash
John Bercow’s inability to button his lip has landed him at the centre of a constitutional and diplomatic row. But it’s hardly the first time his conduct has sparked controversy – and outraged hard-pressed taxpayers, as ANDREW PIERCE reports.
STATE APARTMENT:
His refurbishment of the Speaker’s official residence in the Palace of Westminster estate cost £45,000, more than double the £20,000 he estimated to make it suitable for a family with three children.
The work included £7,524 on a new sofa and window seat cushions for the drawing room. His predecessor Michael Martin, ousted due to his inept handling of the expenses scandal, had spent £725,000 on the apartment in the preceding eight years – so presumably it wasn’t a slum.
Bercow is also allowing his nanny to live rent-free in the Speaker’s housekeeper’s apartment near his official residence in Parliament.
All the nanny’s bills, running into thousands per year, are also paid by the taxpayer. The confirmation of this from the Speaker’s office was at odds with comments by his wife Sally Bercow in 2010, who suggested then that her nanny was living with the family in Speaker’s House. The Speaker’s office confirmed that the nanny was not paying any rent for the property, nor any gas, electricity or water bills, or council tax bills. CRECHE:
One of his first acts was to close popular Bellamy’s bar in the Palace of Westminster, and create a creche for MPs’ children – at a cost of £600,000.
It’s been receiving a subsidy of public money of around £100,000 a year because of the low attendance. After the nursery was opened in 2010, Conservative MP Christopher Chope called it ‘ a reckless waste of taxpayers’ money’. SALARY: Paid more than the Prime Minister, Bercow’s salary topped £151,000 after he accepted a series of increases (which by the way were rejected for themselves by members of the Cabinet).
He is the only holder of one of the three ‘great offices of state’ to keep a gold-plated pension worth £1million when he reaches retirement age. The other two, the PM and Lord Chancellor, waived their right to extra benefits to their pension.
CHAUFFEUR-DRIVEN CARS:
He appears never to have heard of public transport. He spent £367 of taxpayers’ money on a car to Luton to deliver a speech on how MPs were restoring their reputation after the expenses scandal.
A car to Lady Thatcher’s funeral at St Paul’s Cathedral, 1.8 miles from the Commons, cost £158, while he used an official car to travel to Canterbury to see Archbishop Justin Welby at a cost of £524, while most MPs went by train at a fraction of the cost.
Perhaps the most egregious charge was £172 for a car to Carlton House Terrace – 0.7 miles from the Commons – to open a conference on alternative communication. A taxi fare for the round-trip would cost under £15.
JET SETTING:
In 2013 it was revealed he had run up a bill of £100,000 travelling to 20 countries in order to make speeches and address foreign parliaments.
The most expensive flights included £11,253 for Bercow and two aides to fly business class to Ottawa in Canada. On a flight back from Cape Town in 2012, Bercow and a colleague were upgraded from business to first class, though the flights still cost £9,626.
A trip to Japan for a conference last summer cost £20,000 – a year after he made another £10,000 visit to the country. A visit to Burma in October came in at £6,500. The Taxpayers Alliance has said that sums incurred by Bercow’s travels were ‘obscene’. FREEBIES:
Last November it was revealed that over three years he had accepted a staggering £40,000 of VIP hospitality, including trips to see Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. A devoted tennis fan, in Sep-
tember he was given two tickets ‘with associated hospitality’ for the Davis Cup semi-final in Glasgow, valued at £1,384, and there were tickets and hospitality in the Royal Box at Wimbledon worth £7,790. SKY TELEVISION:
Extraordinarily, the public is paying more than £100 a month for Bercow’s Sky subscription at his opulent apartment – complete with a sports package.
TRADITION:
In the last week, he’s upset the apple cart by ordering Clerks to stop wearing wigs, which have been part of the Parliamentary tradition since before Oliver Cromwell. TEMPER TANTRUMS:
There was more upset among the Commons staff in 2014 when Bercow was accused of driving Parliament’s most senior official to resign – by treating him badly and swearing at him. In an extraordinary intervention in the chamber, Conservative MP Michael Fabricant said that the Clerk of the House, Sir Robert Rogers – who was hugely respected – was retiring early after Bercow used the Fword in a row. Bercow, famously bad-tempered, denied it. SUITED AND BOOTED:
In 2011 it emerged that Bercow had charged the taxpayer £3,200 for a morning suit for him to use at ceremonial events – and another £485 for a white tie and tails outfit. His latest purchase last year was for a coat, waistcoat and three pairs of trousers – totalling £1,060.
Retailers such as M&S sell similar suits for under £200. WINING AND DINING:
He spent £1,700 on a reception for retiring MPs, £3,000 on an event for newly-elected ones, and £2,000 on a ‘standing-down’ dinner for deputy Speaker Dawn Primarolo, who is now a peer. And in
2014, one meal with then Australian Speaker Bronwyn Bishop cost £1,954.
In March, he hosted a dinner for the Israeli Speaker and 30 people which cost £3,950. There was a £ 5,200 total bill for lunches with a Roman Catholic Archbishop and the Italian and German Speakers (so presumably they didn’t serve beer and sandwiches). PERSONALISED GIFTS:
More than £ 640 was spent on ‘ Speaker Bercow’- branded Commons whisky and personalised photo cards for visitors. GAFFES:
He was red-faced after calling rugby star Ben Cohen ‘openly gay’ – even though the former player has a wife and is straight. Bercow made the gaffe at a meeting of Parliament’s gay staff network. DUBIOUS COMPANY:
Bercow is extraordinarily close to disgraced Labour MP Keith Vaz. Bercow opened the London office of the Silver Star diabetes charity set up by Vaz in 2007. The charity gave £2,500 to Bercow’s Speaker’s election campaign in 2010.
When a Tory MP attempted to highlight a police investigation into Vaz’s conduct, after it was revealed he had paid rent boys for sex, he was blocked by the Speaker. Vaz and Bercow have been photographed together enjoying hospitality at football matches.