Hoyle says he represents Commons ‘at home and abroad’ amid expenses reports
The Commons Speaker mentioned the foreign travel of previous speakers at the Society of Editors’ Media Freedom Conference in London on Tuesday.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle has said he is an ambassador for the House of Commons “both at home and abroad” amid reports about his travel expenses.
The Commons Speaker allegedly spent more than £180,000 of taxpayers’ cash in two years on first-class and business-class flights, with chauffeur-driven cars and stays at five-star resorts, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper also said Sir Lindsay had been on 19 foreign trips since October 2022, reportedly more than any other Commons speaker in the same time period.
Speaking at the Society of Editors’ Media Freedom Conference in London on Tuesday, though not mentioning the reports directly, Sir Lindsay said: “Part of my job is to act as an ambassador for the House of Commons, both at home and abroad.”
Sir Lindsay said speakers have “represented the House on the international stage” such as the G20 Speakers’ Conference and the Council of Europe Speakers’ Conference.
He mentioned that in August 1944 former speaker Douglas Clifton Brown travelled to Normandy to visit British Forces.
He said that Horace King went to Iran for the 75th annual conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in 1966 and that Bernard Weatherill “visited many places” as part of his role.
The Speaker said that Betty Boothroyd “spent a good deal of the parliamentary recesses” travelling to give addresses in other countries.
He also told the conference: “We Speakers from the G7 and G20 have done our best to raise the profile of Ukraine, to make a difference.
“Even when on some trips, I have almost been in the air longer than I have been on the ground, just to get there I think it is worth it to be that voice in the room, that speaks out against Russian aggression.”
During his speech, Sir Lindsay praised the role of the media.
He said: “Every day, your reporters try to tease out the truth, ensure politicians, such as me, are doing the right thing by our constituents and Parliament.
“To ensure the people have a voice on matters that concern them, or uncover wrongdoing by corporations, political parties, and others.”
Sir Lindsay said that without newspapers, “who will be there to counter the rise of fake news in social media?”.
He went on: “We have all seen the damage that can be done to families when so-called ‘armchair journalists’ get hold of rumours and innuendo and turn them into facts.”
Sir Lindsay added: “Even if we politicians are sometimes at the sharp end of it, I will forever defend your right to free speech and to do what you do, safely and without interference.”
