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Bercow splashes cash on chauffeurs

COMMONS speaker John Bercow came under fire yesterday for splashing public money on chauffeur-driven car trips over tiny distances.

The shortest was a 0.7 mile journey to a conference that cost the taxpayer £172 — but could have cost just £15 in a taxi or nothing had he walked.

He also used £158 of taxpayers’ cash for a car to drive him the 1.8 miles between the Commons and St Paul’s Cathedral for Thatcher’s funeral in 2013.

He and an aide also ran up a £192 dinner bill at a luxury hotel on a visit to Yangon, Myanmar, in 2013, and spent £44 on long-distance calls during a trip to Vienna in May 2013.

The embarrassing expenses details were released the Press Association after a legal battle with Parliament that it won in the Court of Appeal.

A spokesman for the Speaker said he is “always mindful of costs, and travels standard class in the UK and when away from home, stays in hotels that offer value for money.”

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