UK economy in bin, Tories splurged £145 million on 'booze, dinner, artifacts, paper and folders', says Labour report

London: The leaders of the in power Conservative party in the UK, including PM Rishi Sunak and his predecessor Liz Truss, have landed in a fresh controversy after the Labour Opposition came out with a report detailing how huge sums of money were allegedly splurged using government credit cards on items such as lunches, hotels and restaurants, booze and artifacts. These allegations mainly refer to the premiership of Truss. The embarrassment caused is rather more stark given that UK is facing, probably, the biggest crisis ever in terms of economy and living standards with thousands protesting every day for a raise. Through the use of Freedom of Information requests and parliamentary inquiries, Labour discovered that, starting in the March 2021 fiscal year, over £145 million was spent on the government procurement cards (GPCs). According to the Labour report, the Tories spent £84.9 million more than the previous Labour administration in 2010–2011. It was discovered that departments also increased their spending near the conclusion of the fiscal year in 2021 as they attempted to exhaust their annual budgets. According to the Huffington post’s report that summarises 29 expensive or peculiar expenditures of public funds, maximum money was spent on either booze or fancy dinners. Below mentioned are the details of how much was spend on what and by whom: Liz Truss One lunch and one dinner cost Liz Truss about £1,443. She had meals with her top officials at two of Jakarta’s most upscale eateries. In Australia, she spent £1,351 at “Women’s Ready to Wear Stores.” According to ministers, this payment from her time as foreign secretary was for “event charges and business hospitality.” Must Read: Liz Truss approved huge spending on bars, leisure, hotels on govt credit cards at Foreign Office Rishi Sunak He purchased 13 works of fine art for more than £3,393. When he served as chancellor, they were mounted on the walls in his office. The Treasury department of Rishi Sunak paid £5,040 for a “top-of-the-line, heavy-duty paper” shredder. Furthermore, he spent £10,984 on camera and photographic gear. Boris Johnson After that, PM Boris Johnson racked up a £4,445 tab for a single dinner in New York. This came up to £177.80 per head and included orders for the costliest starter, main meal, and three of the most expensive sides. The Foreign Office Five new ministerial red boxes and 13 ministerial red folders cost the Foreign Office £21,552. They were all advertised as “Computer Software Stores” and all came from the same specialised provider, Barrow Hepburn & Gale. The Foreign Office purchased specialised lighting for £3,266. Marc Wood Studio, a luxury lighting company, received the funding. For Posturite chairs (for posture), the Foreign Office paid £29,873, of which £10,692 was spent only in March 2021. In 2021, the Foreign Office spent £92,321 on packaged beer, wine, and spirits. According to Labour’s assessment, “it is thought” that these are the “best local importers of British-made wines or spirits” at the retailers in question. Over the course of 2021, the Foreign Office spent £344,803 on “restaurants and bars.” The average cost per head came to £1,206 in this calculation. The Foreign Office paid £36,293 on Royal Crown Derby fine bone china products. The report states that it also spent £15,943 on the Royal Collection online shop for “presents to international peers.” The Foreign Office paid Fortnum & Mason £11,853 Ministers “declined to say” who they were for, according to the article. A magician, mind reader, and event host were hired by the Foreign Office for £1,495 each. In 2021, it was a component of the UK-Spain Business Awards. Hot Pink Photo Booth received a £1,903 fee from the Foreign Office. According to the minister, it was utilised for a guest banquet for the James Bond movie “No Time To Die.” The Foreign Office purchased eight floral displays for a total of £14,957. Ministers “could not identify the specific occasions for which the costs were incurred.” In 2021, the Foreign Office paid unidentified “accommodation providers” £1.3 million. 10 months into 2022, this increased to £3.25 million. Furniture at the Foreign Office cost just under £500,000. The Romo Group, a single wallpaper supplier, received £11,508 of that, and Ferguson’s Irish Linen, a single bedding supplier, received £11,746. UK Borders and enforcement spent £721 on Stubhub for visiting officials. Ministers steadfastly declined to disclose the tickets they were buying. At Glasgow Airport, Border Force employees spent £609 on Pret a Manger sandwiches. They were providing food for international visitors coming to the COP26 summit. British Embassy in Singapore paid £2,174 for Shake’n’Swirl These cocktail specialists and providers of bespoke bar services attended two events. The Ministry of Justice spent £698,208 on Amazon This includes £724 on four-metre wide “Panoramic Limestone Background” for “video and photo communications”. Natural England bought £1,411 of branded mugs for its Evidence Services team It was “in recognition for the difficult year of 2020”. Prison and Probation Service pent £9,236 on branded hand sanitiser. This was then used in prisons. The Government Property agency spent £1,450 on 500 branded fidget cubes. This was for distribution at Civil Service Live events. Education Department The Department for Education spent £1,040 on chauffeuring Nadhim Zahawi The then-education secretary was driven around Glasgow just on November 5, 2021, for COP26. An “interactive team building game” cost £1,518 and was purchased by the Education Department. Teams had to compete in “El Dorado” to decipher puzzles and hints in order to discover the key to a treasure chest. Local Transport Directorate paid Service Animals £5,388 for an online workshop. In order to analyse service delivery models, it draws on archetypes of animal behaviour. Do you hoot? is a question posed to participants. Growl? Click-click? Or flail your arms about? Zing Events received £2,074 from the Department of Transportation for a getaway day. 29 employees participated in “group juggling” and building a “mini-Mexican railway.” Environment Agency For leaflets on seeded paper, the Environment Agency paid £877. Team GB athletes were encouraged by this to “lower their plastic consumption.” The Tories claim the report has just “wasted” civil servants’ time. Read all the Latest News, Trending News,  Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.