Parliament's £9m budget hike attacked
House of Commons speaker John Bercow (pictured) has signed off a £9m taxpayer-funded budget rise for Parliament. This is despite the National Audit Office (NAO) refusing to approve last year's accounts because of MPs' expenses worries and despite huge ongoing public service cuts. The £9m hike takes the House of Commons budget from £219m to £228m. How's that for setting an example of public cost-cutting?