EXCLUSIVE Revealed: Sir Lindsay Hoyle splurged nearly £5,500 of taxpayers' cash on private planes during a Caribbean tour to paradise islands
Sir Lindsay Hoyle splurged nearly £5,500 on private planes during a Caribbean tour, it can be revealed.
The Commons Speaker used more taxpayers' money to charter three planes to hop between the paradise islands of St Maarten, Montserrat, Anguilla and Antigua.
It was part of a week-long jaunt which included a two-night 'official visit' to Montserrat to meet his counterpart on the island.
It also included a four-night stay in Anguilla to attend the Conference of Speakers of the UK House of Commons and Overseas Territories.
In total, Sir Lindsay spent more than £100,000 of taxpayers' cash 'sponsoring' the conference.
While it was reported during the 2023 trip Sir Lindsay travelled there by private plane and stayed in hotels costing up to £900 a night, it was not known that he had chartered three private planes while in the Caribbean or that he went to St Maarten and Antigua – neither being on the trip docket.
The Daily Mail had fought for further details of the trip that previously were not spelled out in Sir Lindsay's official log, via Freedom of Information requests.
The private plane from St Maarten to Montserrat cost £2,350. From Montserrat to Anguilla and then from there to Antigua cost £1,500 each for Sir Lindsay and three officials. The newly discovered flights come to a total of £5,350 of taxpayers' cash.
A complete bill of £101,552.60 was splurged on throwing the speakers' conference so eight of Sir Lindsay's counterparts and 30 delegates could attend – with £47,962.43 spent on flights.
He also handed the National Assembly of Anguilla a £50,000 'organising grant' to prepare for the conference.
It comes amid growing questions about the scale of Sir Lindsay's travel expenses, which have surged past £300,000 since he became Speaker in 2019.
He has taken his wife on several trips along with up to four staff.
On his latest jaunt to Malaysia in the middle of February, he spent more than £25,000 on business-class flights, hotels and restaurants for him and staff.
John O'Connell, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'Taxpayers will be livid that they have to pick up these sky-high bills for private planes. Getting government business overseas done quickly is one thing, but continuing to stump up for politicians with a taste for the good life is quite another.
'Politicians have to cut out unnecessary spending and treat taxpayers with the respect they deserve.'
Former Tory cabinet minister David Jones said: 'To spend money on three chartered aircraft flights in the Caribbean, at a time when the people of this country were suffering greatly as a consequence of the massive increase in the cost of living, is turning a tin ear to public sentiment. It shouldn't be happening.
'It's a very nice jolly in the Caribbean, but to hire private planes to cruise around is not a good look. It's just not acceptable.'
Referring to the fact that Sir Lindsay was a Labour MP before becoming the Commons Speaker, he added: 'Given how Labour are whacking up taxes at the moment, the old 'champagne socialist' jibe has come true.
'I voted for Sir Lindsay Hoyle for a change from [former Commons Speaker] John Bercow, because I thought he'd be a refreshing change. But I don't see much difference.'
The Speaker's Office said one reason details of the private planes were not listed in his official travel expenses log was because some of the costs were allocated to the Clerk of the House, while some were included in the overall budget for sponsoring the conference.
They said he flew via St Maarten and then chartered a private plane for the Montserrat 'official visit' because there were no direct flights.
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