LABOUR has accused Liz Truss of a “complete lack of transparency and accountability” as answers have been demanded over the Foreign Secretary reportedly hosting a £3,000 lunch at a private members’ club.
The UK Governmet has claimed the event was held at a venue owned by a Tory donor because it was available at short notice.
But leaked correspondence has suggested the Foreign Secretary “explicitly asked that we book 5 Hertford Street”, which is owned by Robin Birley, who donated £20,000 to Boris Johnson’s leadership campaign and the half-brother of UK Environment Minister Zac Goldsmith.
The venue agreed to reduce the bill to £1,400, but on condition it received immediate payment – which meant civil servants were forced to use an emergency process to pay up straight away.
The leaked correspondence revealed that while in her role as trade secretary, Ms Truss “refused to consider anywhere else” for the event and allegedly asked that public funds should be used to pay for the event with US President Joe Biden’s trade representative.
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Labour has now written to UK International Trade Minister, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, demanding answers.
In his letter, first reported by the Guardian, Labour’s shadow international trade sectary, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said that when media inquiries were made about the lunch in November, “it is understood that the department’s own press office stated that the reason for such expense was due to it being organised at ‘short notice’ and therefore down to availability”.
He added: “However, in correspondence it showcases that it was not down to short notice, but the insistency of the former secretary of state.”
Mr Thomas-Symonds’ letter also asks Ms Trevelyan when she learned of the event, why the venue was chosen and why Ms Truss appeared to overrule civil servants and whether the venue had been used for other events.
He said: “These revelations showcase the complete lack of transparency and accountability of such decisions.
“What we see from this government is a flagrant abuse of the powers that have been given to them.”
Before attending the event with US trade representatives, a UK civil servant reportedly described the club as “obviously incredibly expensive and more than I understand we’d usually expect to pay for such a venue”.
It was requested, the official wrote, as the private dining room was “of the appropriate size and standing” for the event.
A spokesperson for the Department of International Trade said: “This was a diplomatic working dinner attended by the previous international trade secretary, senior UK officials, and US counterparts from our largest single trading partner.”
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