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Mandelson's £5,500-a-night business trip to Moscow
Nicholas Cecil, Chief Political Correspondent29.10.08
LORD Mandelson faced fresh controversy today after staying in a £5,500-a-night suite during a four-day trade trip to Moscow.
The Business Secretary's stay in the Linley Suite at the Baltschug Kempinski Hotel raised questions over his love of the high life.
Britain's captains of industry, including CBI head Richard Lambert, are paying less than £300 a night at the Golden Ring Hotel in the city. The Cabinet minister's spokesman stressed the hotel was charging £860 a night and that he had been upgraded to the suite, designed by the Queen's nephew Lord Linley, free.
The peer is insisting he is getting on with his job of promoting British trade overseas, but his visit has been dogged by questions over his links with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska who entertained him on his £80 million yacht moored off Corfu in August.
Lord Mandelson denies doing Mr Deripaska any favours while he was EU Trade Commissioner but has repeatedly refused to give a full account of all their meetings.
Reader views (12)
Don't come back Mandy Boy.
- Frank, Home Counties, England
Mandy was a member of the Youth wing of the Communist party and when joining Labour went to the World Youth festival in Cuba organised by the Soviets. Good job he went to Oxford or we might be linking him the Cambridge group, Burgess Philby, McLean & Blunt.
- Dereck, London, England
Peter Mandelson; the man our beloved Gordon Brown considered noble enough to become a Lord. God help us!
- St, London
Why is he not fired?! Oh yes he's Nu Labor and can do as he pleases...
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London
Not bad hotel tariff @ £5500.00 p.n. This is one years pension in the U.K.
- Brian Hughes, UK
If he is so friendly with the Russians why doesn't he stay there? I am sure they would provide suitable accommodation for such an individual at the local salt-mine.
- Joe, London, UK
This Mandy guy is worse than the other Nu Labor guys. Why is he still in government. He is just wasting more money - not what this country needs right now...
- Steveo, London
Why can't mr. Mandelson stay with the rest of his delegation? I always thought he was a good socialist and believed in equality but apparently I am wrong. It's ironic that he reserves superior treatment for himself than the "capitalists" he represents on this visit and who, indirectly are paying his expenses. I guess the old adage " do as I say, don't do as I do" applies.
- Jan Bors, l
Lord Mandelson clearly knows a good hotel when he sees one. However, the decision to put Britain's captains of industry up at the Golden Ring suggests that they are captains only of tramp steamers. A sleeping bag in a subway is as alluring as Richard Lambert's accommodation.
- Martin Davies, Guildford, Surrey
He is still paying 3 times the others or is the tax payer footing the bill?. Does it include breakfast or is that extra?
Why does he stay in a different hotel from those participating in the trade visit.
- Peter Glazier, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Have any of the media's political pundits realised how very very desperate our very own 'Lord of the Flies' has been to quickly meet up personally, face to face, with his Russian friend[s]?
If Mandelson's [calls and contacts with such sinister characters are] being actively monitored by British and American Secret Services, surely then their meeting in the 'screened' protection of the Russian's homeland
'safehouse' is the best way for him to re-establish their mutual 'trust' [and to 'compare notes and modify diary entries] without the probability of bugged, or closely monitored, conversations.
- Dave, cumbria
how can this pitiful man be adding any value? He is a self-glorifying, despicable individual who cares nothing about Britain or the British population .......
- Marianne, S W France
