JOHN Bercow has splurged thousands of pounds on trips abroad, photos for his fans and a Sky Sports subscription – and put it on expenses.
The Speaker – who has different rules on what he can claim compared to most MPs – has splashed out thousands on foreign trips to Canada, Switzerland and Latvia in the last year.
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Business class flights for Mr Bercow and his secretary just to Canada came to £12,352, and it came with a £660 bill at a four-star hotel too.
The figures also include hundreds of pounds was spent on “entertainment” – including £235 for drinks at a dinner for senior MPs, MailOnline revealed.
They also showed he splashed out on £113 a month for a Sky Sports subscription,
The cost of tuning the piano at Speaker’s House was £87.50 too.
The Speaker’s House-hosted lectures also set him back hundreds of pounds.
And £70 was spent on colour portrait pictures of Mr Bercow, which are signed and set out to admirers who ask for them.
A spokeswoman for Mr Bercow said: “The Speaker attends the annual G7 Speakers’ conference wherever it is held.
“Last year, this was in Nova Scotia, and followed the G7 summit of world leaders in Quebec, which was attended by the Prime Minister.
“The Speaker and his Private Secretary travel business class on long haul flights.”
On the dinner for the Panel of Chairs the spokeswoman told MailOnline:”The Speaker’s office pays for the drinks reception beforehand and drinks served at the table.
“The panel of chairs’ pay for their own food.”
This week he said he would stay in office until Brexit is resolved – despite speculation he would retire this summer,
He said it was “not sensible to vacate the chair” at this point in time.
With Brexit still up in the air he could be in post for months or even years to come.
2019 marks his tenth year in the job – but Mr Bercow had said he intended to serve no more than nine.
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He’s survived multiple attempts to try and oust him by disgruntled Tory MPs who say he’s biased against Brexit.
And earlier this year he controversially broke with Commons precedent – and ruled out MPs voting on the PM’s deal for a third time unless it was different.
The Speaker has also faced allegations of bullying, which he has denied.
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