The speaker of the House of Commons has kept nearly 300 gifts, including skincare sets, presents for his pets and dozens of bottles of alcohol, over the last four years.
The man charged with keeping MPs in line also held on to drinking glasses, cufflinks, chocolates and a rug.
The details of the presents come at a tricky time for Sir Lindsay Hoyle, as he comes under fire for his overseas trips amid allegations he spent more than £180,000 of taxpayers’ money on first-class and business-class flights with stays at five-star resorts.
The issue of “freebies” has also hit the headlines, with chancellor Rachel Reeves facing fire from MPs for receiving hospitality at the Sabrina Carpenter concert as she prepared to slash £5bn from the welfare bill.
Last year, she and other ministers pledged they would not accept any more free clothes from donors after days of negative reports over “wardrobe-gate”.
The speaker received a large number of gifts from foreign dignitaries such as ambassadors, MPs and sometimes private companies.
The list of what he chose to keep, which he has voluntarily declared, includes around 80 bottles of alcohol, such as champagne, whisky, rum and wine since 2021.
There are also 26 ties and cufflinks, as well as pictures and ornaments, and Christmas hampers from Bahrain and Qatar, according to The Guardian, which first revealed the details.
The former Labour MP, before he became the speaker, has also been given a Christmas pudding by Priti Patel, the Conservative shadow foreign secretary, for the last three years.
The declaration also shows he passed on or shared some of the gifts with his office.
MPs are only required to declare presents worth more than £300, while ministers must declare those worth more than £150.
Tom Brake, the director of the campaign group Unlock Democracy and himself a former MP, said: “The speaker’s voluntary declaration of the gifts he receives shines a light on the potential scale of freebies accepted but undeclared by MPs.
“The very generous £300 declaration threshold for MPs needs to be brought in line with the rules that commonly apply in the public and the private sector, where only nominal gifts can be accepted.”
A spokesperson for the Speaker’s Office said: “As is common practice across the world, the speaker gives and receives gifts when hosting dignitaries as a token of friendship and relationship-building between nations and parliaments. All items are declared proactively – regardless of the £300 threshold applied by the MPs’ register of interests – to ensure transparency and to avoid conflicts of interest.
“In consultation with parliamentary officials, a decision is made as to whether a gift would make a meaningful addition to the Speaker’s House historic collection, and if it should go on display. If the item does not meet those criteria, for example perishable goods, it is either retained personally by the speaker or his office.
“As part of his welcome to visiting dignitaries and to cement friendships, many of the gifted ties and cufflinks are worn by the speaker, and decorative heritage items relating to that country are put on display.”
Sir Lindsay, who is paid about £160,000 a year, also has the use of a grace and favour flat in Speaker’s House within the Palace of Westminster.
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