Liz Truss's Foreign Office spend at Norwich City for an “overseas shared values children’s project”

Controversial: Politics & Govt Politics & Govt: In The News
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Liz Truss is facing questions over Foreign Office spending, including £1,841 at Norwich City’s online shop during her time as foreign secretary.

Labour’s shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry queried the use of Foreign Office expense cards, up 45% on last year, in a letter to the department.

She asked why officials had incurred a number of costs, including two payments to the then Premier League club.

The Foreign Office has been approached for comment.

The payments were made on two dates: £1,318 on 21 October and £523.50 on 21 March.

At the time, South West Norfolk MP Liz Truss was leading the department as foreign secretary.

It is not known who requested the payments, or what was purchased.

At a Conservative leadership debate in July, Ms Truss admitted to a crowd of party members at Leeds United’s Elland Road that she was a Norwich City fan.

In her letter, addressed to Foreign Office junior minister Gillian Keegan MP, Ms Thornberry wrote that it was difficult to understand why the department had spent money on items such as “high-end private catering; wellness and beauty treatments; extensive supplies from UK wineries; large amounts of home furnishing; and even £1,841 at the Norwich City club shop”.

She also asked how officials managed to spend £4,333 on “two trips to the hairdresser”.

It’s a mystery … :thinking:

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OMG high-end private catering in Norfolk! Extensive supplies from UK wineries!

EEK

The woman’s got no class.

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The daggers are out.

How dare she be PM?

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Admittedly, the expenditure is not as extreme as Liz Truss’ use of the private government Airbus A321 for her trip to Australia, which is estimated to have cost £500,000, but it does indicate a predilection, like BJ’s, for using the taxpayers money instead of her own … :man_shrugging:

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The £1,841 spent at Norwich City FC when Liz Truss was foreign secretary was for an “overseas shared values children’s project”, a minister said. In Parliament, Foreign Office minister Gillian Keegan said the payments were subject to “normal controls”. The Foreign Office would not comment further on what the project was.

The payments to the football club’s online shop were made on two dates - £1,318 on 21 October and £523.50 on 21 March, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

On Tuesday in Parliament, Ms Keegan said: “Yes, we are content that the referenced payment was subject to normal FCDO [Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office] controls and in line with government procurement card policy. These were payments for an overseas shared values children’s project.”

A Foreign Office spokesman declined to say what the “overseas shared values children’s project” was, or the Norwich City merchandise was used for.

In a response on Twitter, Ms Thornberry questioned what the project was “and why was the appropriate way to fund it through purchases at the Norwich City club shop?”.

GK’s fobbing off ET … :roll_eyes: