Sir Lindsay Hoyle was last night under mounting pressure over his lavish travel expenses – after admitting to errors in the official Parliament log of how the money was spent.
Critics of the Commons Speaker demanded a probe to determine how many other entries may be wrong after he promised to correct the record over a jaunt to Gibraltar.
The revelation is embarrassing for Sir Lindsay as it is usually his job to tell MPs to correct the record if they have misled the Commons.
His office yesterday said there had been an ‘admin error’ and that this would be corrected to ‘make it clear’ how taxpayers’ money was spent.
It centred around who had paid for his wife, Lady Catherine Hoyle, to go on the trip with him.
The Speaker claimed more than £4,100 for the trip, including over £2,000 for business-class flights, £1,320 for accommodation and more than £700 for food and drink.
He said in Parliament’s official log that it was for him and three staff members, raising questions about who had paid for his wife to attend but not picked up the tab for him.
Quizzed by the Mail, his office said that the University of Gibraltar – where Sir Lindsay is Chancellor – had, in fact, paid for his wife and him.
Critics of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle (pictured) demanded a probe to determine how many other entries may be wrong after he promised to correct the record over a jaunt to Gibraltar
The Speaker claimed more than £4,100 for the trip to Gibraltar, including flights, accommodation and food and drink. Pictured: The Rock Hotel in Gibraltar, where Hoyle has stayed
It also paid for a third official, with his office clarifying that taxpayers therefore picked up the bill for a further three members of his staff to attend.
It means six people in total went on the jaunt in December 2021 despite it simply being for his ‘installation as Chancellor of the University of Gibraltar and bilateral programme’, according to the official parliamentary log. It was previously thought that just four attended.
Critics have questioned why taxpayers should pick up the tab for his trips to Gibraltar at all, given his post of Chancellor at the university has nothing to do with his Speaker role. Sir Lindsay has billed taxpayers nearly £16,000 for four trips to the Rock.
Yesterday, the Mail also revealed how his wife also went to Los Angeles with him in February 2023, where Sir Lindsay gave a single talk to politics students at the University of Southern California.
During the trip, he splashed out more than £3,000 to a limousine firm for a chauffeur-driven car, nearly £300 on taxi app Lyft and more than £3,000 on accommodation.
His wife also went to Verona in Italy with him for a G7 Speakers’ conference in September last year, costing the taxpayer a total of £14,585.
On both occasions, Sir Lindsay’s office said he and his wife footed the bill for her travel and expenses.
But critics questioned whether her attendance on official taxpayer-funded work trips was necessary and whether it was possible to keep her expenses completely separate.
The list, obtained via Freedom of Information requests, breaks down the extravagant sums
Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle with his wife Lady Catherine with their pets
Last week the Mail revealed how Sir Lindsay (pictured) has splurged more than £250,000 on 19 foreign jaunts since October 2022
A spokesman for Sir Lindsay (pictured) said: ‘This was a simple admin error that will be updated tomorrow, to make it clear what the university paid for’
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Recent revelations about the Speaker’s expenses have raised serious questions about him and his office’s treatment of taxpayer cash.
‘While his spokespeople insist that these costs come as part of his diplomatic work, the extravagance of the expenditure means their credibility is being stretched to breaking point. It’s time now for an investigation.’
Tom Brake, director of campaign group Unlock Democracy and a former deputy Commons leader, added: ‘Given the damage that expenses stories have done to Parliament in the past, and the country’s challenging financial situation, extra-vigilance is required from MPs, ministers and the Speaker to ensure travel and accommodation claims are efficient, cost-effective and appropriate.’
Last week the Mail revealed how Sir Lindsay has splurged more than £250,000 on 19 foreign jaunts since October 2022.
The tally included more than £180,000 on first- and business-class flights alone as he won’t fly economy. Tens of thousands more went on limousine firms, five-star hotels and top restaurants.
Regarding the mistake, the Speaker’s spokesman said: ‘This was a simple admin error that will be updated tomorrow, to make it clear what the university paid for. The £4,000 cost was for three staff. Staff always strive for accuracy and occasionally mistakes are made.’
