London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 12, 2025

Labour accuse Tories of spending sprees on hotels, dining and gifts

Labour accuse Tories of spending sprees on hotels, dining and gifts

Labour has accused the Conservative government of overseeing "lavish spending" on hotels, hospitality and other costs using taxpayer-funded debit cards.

The bills have been highlighted in a Labour study of spending on government debit cards in 2021.

Examples of bills include £3,393 on 13 fine art photographs, and £23,457 on alcohol for UK embassies abroad.

The Conservatives branded Labour's analysis a "political stunt".

A Conservative Party spokesperson said Labour spent almost £1bn on the cards - known as government procurement cards (GPCs) - in 2009, when the party was last in government.

This spending was across the whole of the public sector, while Labour's analysis focused on 14 government departments, so the figures are not directly comparable.

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak "has failed to rein in the culture of lavish spending across Whitehall on his watch".

In a 24-page document, titled the GPC Files, Labour included examples of government spending, including:

* The Treasury buying 13 fine art photographs from The Tate Gallery for £3,393

* £344,803 of card expenditure by Foreign Office diplomats in 2021 under the category "restaurants and bars"

* The Foreign Office spending £7,218 on a reception for Liz Truss, when she was foreign secretary

* The Ministry of Justice paying £4,019 for 850 branded USB cables for staff taking part in a virtual conference

* The Department of Health spending £59,155 on items of stationery in March 2021, compared to £1,470 in the whole of the rest of the year combined

Ms Rayner said her party's analysis showed "a scandalous catalogue of waste, with taxpayers' money frittered away across every part of government".

A Labour government would "get tough on waste, with an Office of Value for Money upholding transparency and high standards for all public spending, including on government procurement cards", she added.

Ms Rayner, who has claimed more than £2,000 worth of Apple products on expenses, defended herself against accusations of hypocrisy.

Speaking on Times Radio Ms Rayner said her spending was not "the same as millions of pounds that is being used on these credit cards in an inappropriate way".

"I'm actually using the equipment right now as I'm speaking to you on the iPad."

The Conservatives cut the number of cards in use and introduced a requirement for spending to be publicly declared, a government spokesman said.

The Cabinet Office said the cards can save time and money when used for one-off purchases and are considered to be an efficient way of paying for goods and services.

Transport minister Richard Holden said Labour had "wasted" civil servants time and "half-a-million pounds" uncovering the information was already publicly available.

"All of this data is publicly available online, it has been since 2012 - something which didn't happen under the last Labour government," he told ITV's Good Morning Britain.

"We publish it on a monthly basis."


'Value for money'


The cards were introduced by the government of former Labour prime minister Tony Blair in 1997 as a more convenient way to make low-value purchases.

They were made available to all public sector organisations, including central government departments, local authorities and the NHS.

The use of the cards has come under increased public and political scrutiny following a major scandal over expenses claims made by MPs in 2009.

In a report on GPCs in 2012, the National Audit Office said "there has been a lack of central oversight and control of the card, which has increased risks to value for money".

In its study of the cards, Labour analysed spending data for every major government department in 2021, apart from the Ministry of Defence.

The party obtained some of the data in statements written by ministers in response to parliamentary questions asked by Emily Thornberry, the shadow attorney general.

The 14 government departments - including the Treasury and Home Office - spent about £145.5m using GPCs in 2021, compared to £84.9m spent by the equivalent departments in 2010-11, according to Labour's analysis.

However, the analysis does not take into account inflation.

Labour have published a full analysis of the government's use of GPCs.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
×