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Lord Levy's £6,000 farewell party
Last updated at 23:52pm on 12.06.07
Taxpayers are to foot a £6,000 bill for a farewell party for Lord Levy
Taxpayers are to foot a £6,000 bill for a farewell party for Lord Levy, it has emerged.
The reception is being held to mark Lord Levy's nine years of service as Tony Blair's personal envoy in the Middle East.
It is to be hosted by Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett at opulent Lancaster House in Central London next Tuesday.
In a written Parliamentary answer, Foreign Office Minister Geoff Hoon said: "The estimated cost is £6,000, which will be met by the Foreign Secretary's entertainment budget."
The timing of the event will raise eyebrows, coming as Lord Levy, 61, remains on police bail after being arrested over claims that honours were traded for cash.
The former pop music tycoon was arrested and questioned in the probe, which was initially into the sale of honours but later broadened to investigate any cover-up attempt.
Lord Levy - known as "Lord Cashpoint" for his ability to raise millions for Labour - was rebailed last week.
He has denied all accusations of wrongdoing in the honours affair and claimed that he is facing a prejudiced, "mediastyle trial".
Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Lord Oakeshott said: "Why should the taxpayer put his card behind the bar for Lord Levy's leaving party?
"He's the Prime Minister's personal envoy - if he deserves a lavish send-off, the Prime Minister should have the decency to do it personally rather than expecting the Foreign Office to fund it.
"Perhaps the Prime Minister is too embarrassed to host it himself."
Reader views (7)
This is absolutely disgraceful - isn't it up to the Labour Party to get its hand down for his seeing off party. Or are they waiting to see how much his defence is going to cost them?
- Robert, Kirk Ella, East Yorks
Hey I'm with Andy on this one, seeing as we're paying for it we should be allowed to attend.
- Sarah, London
The current political elite really do love to get their heads into the trough don't they?
- Steve R, London, UK
Entertainment budget? Wake up to the real world. Very few big corporations have entertainment budgets anymore, so why on earth does the government?
- Nobby Clark, London, usually
Why should a leaving party be funded by the tax-payer full stop?
Any use of tax-payer's money like this is a criminal waste.
- Neil Evans, Notting Hill
Perhaps the public should turn up at Lancaster House on Tuesday for a quick drinky too, after all we're paying for it.
How rude of Margaret to forget my invatation...
- Andy, london
Hurrah, he certainly deserves a party, he's the most honest man in the Labour government and he's towing the party line and acting as scapegoat for the upper echelons.
- Trevor Roll, London
