John Bercow's visit to Japan cost nearly £10,000

Updated
Speaker John Bercow's official visit to Japan cost nearly £10,000
Speaker John Bercow's official visit to Japan cost nearly £10,000


An official visit to Japan by Commons Speaker John Bercow cost nearly £10,000, according to new figures.

Business class flights for Mr Bercow and a staff member were £8,353, while three nights at the five-star Shangri-La Hotel in Tokyo were £1,436.

Another £148 went on "subsistence and taxis" during the visit in August, details released by the House show.

The material, covering Mr Bercow's official travel and subsistence between July and September, also records a trip to New York in September to attend the World Speakers' Conference.

However, no costs were disclosed as it was funded by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) rather than the Commons.

While in New York Mr Bercow, a keen tennis fan, received complimentary tickets worth £325 to watch the US Open.

Later that month the TUC paid for him to come and address its congress in Brighton, putting him up overnight at the Grand Hotel.

The information also indicates that Mr Bercow has not used an official car since July, when he was heavily criticised over a £172 bill for being driven to a conference less than a mile from parliament.

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