A COMPANY with active NHS contracts paid for a Labour health minister’s luxury trip to California, The National can reveal.
Cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks covered the expenses for Stephen Kinnock – Labour’s care minister and husband of former Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt – to join her on a 5-day trip in August to Napa Valley, a world-famous wine region.
The company supplies cybersecurity tools, such as firewalls and intrusion prevention systems, to the NHS through indirect contracts, including Accenture’s deal with NHS Digital to roll out security software nationwide.
In April, Palo Alto Networks also secured a contract worth more than £85,000 with the UK Health Security Agency.
Thorning-Schmidt joined the company’s board of directors in February, and according to Electoral Commission records, the California visit was a “team-building trip” for board members and their spouses.
Palo Alto Networks covered the trip’s expenses totalling £12,873 – including £4473 for a hotel room, £906 "approximately" for food, £6395 for flights, and £1099 for airport transfers.
The SNP have have said it raises "serious questions", calling for "full transparency" from Kinnock, who is the son of former Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock.
It comes amid chaos and increasing pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer, notably after the sacking last week of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador after a cache of emails showed him supporting the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein after he had pled guilty to sex offences.
There have also been a raft of resignations in his Cabinet, including former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner amid a row over her tax affairs.
Labour have also been under fire for the amount of freebies their MPs have accepted.
The Prime Minister himself was dubbed the “king of freebies” by SNP MP Kirsty Blackman after it was revealed that he declared more than £100,000 of free tickets and gifts during his time as Labour leader – far more than any other MP.
Commenting, an SNP spokesperson said: "There must now be full transparency from Stephen Kinnock and the Labour Party over this expenses-paid trip, which has seen the Labour minister benefit to the tune of a staggering £12,873 worth of freebies.
"The Labour Government has been caked in one sleaze scandal after another since it came to power, and this has echoes of Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves being forced to apologise for taking thousands in freebies including designer clothes, holidays and luxury apartment stays.
They added: "Voters were promised change but the UK has gone from bad to worse under Starmer and Labour government ministers seem to be more interested in lining their own pockets than helping families with the soaring cost of living or fixing the mess they've made of the economy.
"Brexit Britain is broken - and whether it's the Labour Party or the Tories in charge, there is a growing stench of sleaze at Westminster. It's never been clearer why Scotland needs to escape Westminster control and secure a fresh start with independence."
The UK Government and Palo Alto Networks were approached for comment.
