John Bercow’s official expenses from his waning months as speaker have revealed that thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money was spent on visits, drinks and dinner events.
The expenses, revealed after a Freedom of Information request by MailOnline, showed that Bercow was advised to take a taxi from Westminster to Nottingham to deliver a speech at Nottingham Trent University, coming at a cost of £1,000.
Other expenses include a £7,000 visit to the US back in May, where Bercow delivered a speech saying that MPs could prevent a no-deal Brexit.
Over £12,000 was spent on retirement parties for four senior members of staff at the House of Commons, including £3,168 for Rose Hudson-Wilkin's retirement gathering.
In January this year, Bercow also took advantage of expenses to settle a drinks reception bill of £234 for the Panel of Chairs, despite stepping down as speaker on October 31, 2019.
Political director of the TaxPayers' Alliance, James Roberts, was critical of Bercow's swansong of spending, saying: “Frittering taxpayers' funds on his farewell tour is a sad end for a speaker who came in committing to clean up parliamentary expenses.
“Like so many public officials, a common sense approach to keeping down travel costs and entertainment expenses became a tall order for this spendthrift former speaker.”
In response to the revelations, a House of Commons spokeswoman said: "In line with long established practice, the Speaker's Office funds the drinks and the pre-dinner reception for the Panel of Chairs dinner.
“The Speaker's Office has funded retirement receptions for senior staff many times in the past.'”
The spokeswoman also highlighted that it was "normal practice" to cover transport costs for the speaker for events where his role and experience is relevant.
