London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

Finland Prime Minister To Pay Back Breakfast Expenses After Uproar

Finland Prime Minister To Pay Back Breakfast Expenses After Uproar

The 35-year-old leader made clear on Tuesday she would no longer claim such expenses after pledging over the weekend to pay back over 14,000 euros ($17,000) she has received in reimbursements for breakfast.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin is pledging to pay back thousands of euros in meal expenses in a bid to contain the fallout from revelations about her family's taxpayer-subsidised breakfasts.

The 35-year-old leader made clear on Tuesday she would no longer claim such expenses after pledging over the weekend to pay back over 14,000 euros ($17,000) she has received in reimbursements for breakfast and cold meals at her residence since taking office a year and a half ago.

"Because there are open questions regarding the meal allowance, I will pay the related costs myself," she said on Twitter on Saturday, adding that she will make sure the issue is looked into and guidance updated if necessary.

On Tuesday she added that "I don't intend to use the meal allowance in future, even if it is ruled to be in line with the regulations," in an interview with broadcaster MTV3.

She called for officials to swiftly determine whether the allowance is legal and whether the repayments should be taxed, and said: "I have other work duties to get on with than spending days on end looking into things like my family's food."

Marin found herself in hot water a week ago when the tabloid Iltalehti reported that she has been claiming back about 300 euros ($365) per month for her family's breakfasts while living at her official residence, Kesaranta.

Upcoming local elections


After police and tax officials in the Nordic country pledged to look into the payments, the prime minister's office announced that the bill for breakfast and other cold meals at the residence was in fact 845 euros ($1,033) a week.

"As prime minister I have not asked for this benefit nor been involved in deciding on it," Marin said on Twitter at the time.

Opposition figures have lined up to paint Marin as out of touch for making use of the meals perk, hoping that the revelations will leave a bitter taste in voters' mouths at the local elections in two weeks' time.

Finland's low levels of inequality are a source of national pride, and leaders are typically valued for being down to earth and egalitarian.

But figures from Marin's own centre-left government coalition, including her predecessor as prime minster Antti Rinne, have expressed their support for the PM.

Marin, leader of Finland's Social Democrats, has enjoyed relatively high levels of public support since coming to office in December 2019, and her coalition has been credited with helping Finland maintain some of Europe's lowest coronavirus infection rates.

Nonetheless her party currently lags in the polls behind the opposition, while the far-right Finns Party has been predicted to make record gains at municipal ballot boxes on June 13.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
×