Commons Speaker under fire for chauffeur-driven car claims

THE Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, has been criticised over his substantial expenses claims, which included £367 (€519) on a chauffeur-driven car from London to a meeting in Luton where he spoke about MPs expenses.
The number of journeys he took by chauffeur-driven car, released under a Freedom of Information (FoI) request, has received a flurry of criticism in the press and online. His trips also included a £172 (€243) lift home from the Commons – a distance of just 0.7 miles, which would have taken an estimated 16 minutes to walk.
And his car from the Commons to St Paul’s Cathedral to attend the funeral of Margaret Thatcher, a journey of just under two miles, cost £158 (€223).
A spokesperson for Mr Bercow said that at times a car was necessary due to time constraints, and that the Speaker was “always mindful of costs.”