Sir Lindsay Hoyle accused of ‘hiding from scrutiny’ as he switches to quarterly reporting while other MPs must publish monthly
Hoyle billed taxpayer £320,000 on flights (Image: Getty)
House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has been accused of attempting to evade scrutiny over his expenses, after ditching monthly transparency rules. Sir Lindsay, who was elected as a Labour MP but has not sat as a member of that party since becoming Speaker, had been issuing details about his taxpayer-funded expenses, as well as gifts and hospitality received, every month. However, this process is now changing, with the reporting moving to just four times a year.
It means Sir Lindsay will only publish details of his expenses and gifts related to his role as Speaker quarterly. Like other MPs, he will still publish details of expenses incurred in his role as an Member of Parliament every month. But it is understood the quarterly declarations for the Speakers Office are intended to assist with the processing and collating of invoices and data. Critics have noted the Speaker has failed to make anything public about gifts and hospitality since last August. The move comes after Sir Lindsay was dubbed “long-haul Hoyle” following revelations he spent some £320,000 of British taxpayer money on foreign trips.
Former Cabinet Minister David Jones told the Daily Mail: “The Speaker occupies a unique and highly respected constitutional position, and I am sure Sir Lindsay will want to do the right thing.” He added: “Precisely because the Speaker is the guardian of standards in the Commons, transparency around expenses and hospitality should be at least as rigorous as that required of other MPs. At this time above all others, when public trust in politics is very fragile, openness matters as much as the rules themselves.”
William Yarwood of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: “The Speaker will look like a bit of a coward if these changes are brought in and continued. Taxpayers deserve transparency from politicians, yet the Speaker is setting a terrible example to other MPs that it’s acceptable to try and hide from public scrutiny.”
He added: “The Speaker should commit to continuing with the monthly releases.”
This is not the first time the Speaker’s gold-plated expenses regime has come under public scrutiny.
Since 2019, he has spent more than £320,000 on over two dozen trips around the world. These trips had to be extracted from House authorities via a freedom of information request. Sir Lindsay even took his wife on trips with him.
Speaker refuses to fly economy on trips (Image: Getty)
He has also racked up £200,000 on first and business class plane tickets, as the Speaker reportedly refuses to fly economy. He has spent thousands more on chauffeured cars and stays at five-star luxury resorts.
Last year, he splurged on a £23,264 trip to Malaysia, which saw him spending that amount on business class flights and then more than £1,000 on hotels. He spent £418 on meals and £300 on taxis during the Malaysian jaunt.
The new revelations will fuel anger about politicians lavish expenses at a time when public trust in politics is at rock bottom. Sir Lindsay’s decision to reduce transparency comes as MPs face growing scrutiny over their spending of taxpayer money.
The Speaker’s office is one of the most well-funded in Parliament, with significant resources at his disposal for official duties. But critics argue that with such great privileges comes greater responsibility for transparency and accountability.
A spokesman said: “As an MP – and in line with all other MPs – Sir Lindsay publishes data on a monthly basis. In his capacity as Speaker, and in line with the Lord Speaker, data around meetings and overseas travel will be published quarterly to ensure all invoices and data can be properly finalised and collated. This data will be published in due course.”
