Uk Mp Trip To Thailand Funded By The Taxpayer

[taxexile]

MP flown to Thailand by the taxpayer

Ben Leach, Chris Hastings and Tom Bell in Bangkok

Last Updated: 1:15am GMT 10/02/2008

With first-class air travel, a suite in a five-star hotel and even elephant rides, their visit to Thailand has the hallmarks of the holiday of a lifetime.

But with the taxpayer picking up more than £3,000 of the bill, Barry Sheerman, the Labour MP for Huddersfield, and his wife, Pamela, were at the centre of a "junket" row yesterday as they sunned themselves in the Far East.

Mr Sheerman, 67, is chairman of the House of Commons children, schools and families select committee and by staying on after a conference in Bangkok for a holiday, he missed important parliamentary work in London.

He was one of three politicians flown out for the two-day conference organised by the British Council, which receives £180 million a year of taxpayers' money to promote Britain overseas.

Instead of returning home when the event ended, Mr Sheerman began a week-long holiday. His return ticket - which cost £2,887.20 - was paid for by the British Council, which also funded his three-night stay in a £146 a-night suite at a Bangkok hotel.

His globe-trotting comes at a time when MPs are under unprecedented scrutiny over their perks and expenses.

Phil Willis, the Liberal Democrat MP and chairman of the innovation, universities and skills select committee, said yesterday: "I was asked to attend but I read the brochure and saw that my only contribution would be at a social function to make a welcome speech.

"I didn't consider that a worthwhile use of my time, or of the resources of the British Council."

Mr Sheerman was invited with Baroness Verma and Mr Willis's replacement, the Lib-Dem MP Mike Hancock, to the Leading Edge on Strategic Education Dialogues in East Asia conference. Billed as a meeting to develop "trans-national educational partnerships in the East Asia region", it was held in Bangkok on Monday and Tuesday last week.

Mr Sheerman and Baroness Verma flew out first class. Mr Hancock flew business class.

During their official visit, the party stayed at the five-star Intercontinental Hotel in the Thai capital. The hotel boasts a swimming pool, fitness centre, sun terrace and spa.

But while his colleagues returned to work the next morning, Mr Sheerman, whose wife had flown out, travelled on with her to Chiang Mai province, a popular tourist destination. They stayed at the Mandarin Oriental, where former guests include the film star Bruce Willis.

Mr Sheerman stayed in the £334-a-night Colonial Suite, which has an on-call butler service and whirlpool spa bath. He missed two days' work time back in Britain, including an education committee meeting about runaway children.

Had he flown straight back from Thailand on February 5, he could have sat in the Commons before the recess started on February 7.

Contacted in Thailand by The Sunday Telegraph, last week, he said: "It's a bit difficult to communicate with someone when you are on top of an elephant."

He later defended his visit, claiming he had turned down places on other British Council trips to the Far East but had accepted this one because it coincided with a planned holiday there.

He claimed his holiday coincided with the parliamentary recess from February 7 to 18. He admitted his return ticket had been paid for by the British Council, as well as his Bangkok hotel, but said that he and his wife were meeting all other costs.

"I'm taking a brief holiday tagged on to the end of a trip. That's what made it very interesting to me, that I could stay on because the House isn't sitting next week for a few days. I've got every right to be here," he said.

He added that he thought Mr Willis's comments were "pathetic" and sour grapes because he had not been asked to make the keynote speech.

"I will be flying back with my wife at the end of the holiday but we have paid for her ticket," he said.

Mark Wallace, the campaign director of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: "The hard-pressed taxpayer will be appalled that even after the controversies of recent months, some MPs are still so barefaced about piggy-backing their own holidays on taxpayer-funded junkets."

A spokesman for the British Council confirmed that the organisation had provided Mr Sheerman with a return ticket and Bangkok hotel, but said it was not contributing to the cost of his holiday.

[sriracha john]

MP flown to Thailand by the taxpayer

Mr Sheerman stayed in the £334-a-night Colonial Suite

334 GBP = 21,406 THB

One would hope that price at least includes a BJ.

[Ricardo]

It's great to see how a socialist-MP, representing a run-down industrial constituency, helps maintain the reputation of the UK in far-flung foreign parts, at the public expense naturally. Fly The Flag ! How fortunate that his wife was able to be free, to accompany him, on this essential diplomatic mission.

Perhaps some of the pensioners, on fixed-incomes frozen because they chose to live in Thailand, might hope to greet him during his visit, to present their concerns at this miscarriage of natural justice ?

On the other hand, I too used to add on a few days holiday, at my own expense, to business-trips, in the days when I travelled the world on an expense-account. So I can't blame him, for doing the same, can I ?

Interesting also that it took up to 3 journalists, here in Bangkok, to report upon the story !

[GuestHouse]

Can the OP please tell us which of the right wing rags that call themselves newspapers he cribbed this out of.

Not just a snide attack on the MP and his work with the Commons' Select Committeen on Schools and Families, but also on the British Council - arguably the best value for money advert for Britain going.

[taxexile]

Can the OP please tell us which of the right wing rags that call themselves newspapers he cribbed this out of

as it says in the article , and as you probably already knew , its the sunday telegraph

guesthouse

British Council - arguably the best value for money advert for Britain going.

telegraph

Mr Sheerman and Baroness Verma flew out first class. Mr Hancock flew business class.

His return ticket - which cost £2,887.20 - was paid for by the British Council, which also funded his three-night stay in a £146 a-night suite at a Bangkok hotel.

why did the liberal democrat MP get business class , and the labour MP get first class

and please explain how 3000 pounds for a plane ticket is good value for taxpayers money.

telegraph

Mr Sheerman stayed in the £334-a-night Colonial Suite, which has an on-call butler service and whirlpool spa bath. He missed two days' work time back in Britain, including an education committee meeting about runaway children.

Had he flown straight back from Thailand on February 5, he could have sat in the Commons before the recess started on February 7.

Contacted in Thailand by The Sunday Telegraph, last week, he said: "It's a bit difficult to communicate with someone when you are on top of an elephant."

guesthouse

Not just a snide attack on the MP and his work with the Commons' Select Committee on Schools and Families, but also on the British Council - arguably the best value for money advert for Britain going.

nothing snide about the telegraphs criticisms.

i think you have been living on company expenses too long gh , you need a touch of the real world to bring some sense into your increasingly bizarre pronouncements.

Edited February 10, 2008 by taxexile

[Neeranam]

and please explain how 3000 pounds for a plane ticket is good value for taxpayers money.

Give him a break, he's a MP! Do you expect him to travel economy?

[taxexile]

Barry Sheerman, the Labour MP for Huddersfield

as the labour mp for huddersfield , he should have got the bl00dy bus

[Ricardo]

and please explain how 3000 pounds for a plane ticket is good value for taxpayers money.

Give him a break, he's a MP! Do you expect him to travel economy?

I always found business-class very comfortable.

Barry Sheerman, the Labour MP for Huddersfield

as the labour mp for huddersfield , he should have got the bl00dy bus

Bring back trams !

[lazeeboy]

the perks of being an mp , good luck to them .

[scousemouse]

Perks of the job ( I've been living here to long ).

[endure]

A number of off-topic posts have been deleted. The only politics we discuss on Thaivisa are Thai politics. Please stick to the subject of the thread or it will be closed.

[buddhafly]

sounds like he tagged a personal holiday on the end of a business trip.

so whats the big deal?

he had to be here for business anyway, and he used some of his annual leave to take advantage of being here already.

he paid for his own hotel and expenses beyond what was required for the conference...

there is no additional expense for the taxpayer....

sounds like jealousy.

[torrenova]

I don't see what the fuss is all about. Now he could have been limited to business class I agree but you cannot have him staying at the Nana can you ? Tagging on a holiday to a trip is actually very good planning as long as the junket was not used solely to subsidise the holiday.

[Nigel M]

I liked the bit: "The hotel boasts a swimming pool, fitness centre, sun terrace and spa."

As if this was ridiculous frivolity in a heavily touristed country.

Even some 400 baht guesthouses have these standard extras. "Boasted!"

[GuestHouse]

i think you have been living on company expenses too long gh , you need a touch of the real world to bring some sense into your increasingly bizarre pronouncements.

If you don't mind Taxexile, I'll remain on allowances (not expenses) while ever I'm entitled under the terms and conditions of my employment to do so - Welcome to my real world - someone else's deal for you to fixate on.

[PhilHarries]

So he tacked a holiday onto a business trip? Big deal, I like many others have done the same thing and there is no moral nor ethical problem provided he executed his business whilst being paid for and there is no suggestion that he didn't.

So he travelled first class while the little Libby slummed it in business? There are some jealous little tw@ts around aren't there? Including more than a few on ThaiVisa. The travel class would have been assigned according to the "rank" of the person and a government MP ranks way higher than a member of the also ran party.

So his wife was available to accompany him? Well at 67 I would expect his wife to have reached retirement age and even if she has not she would, like all working people, be entitled to holidays.

I don't know why people who no longer live in the UK make such a big issue of the politics there and demonstrate such ignorance on the subject. There is no socialist party, no left wing, no right wing merely middle of the road mediocracy which is what the people want and elected - well those that bothered to vote.

Another example of how the so called "quality" press of the UK is drifting down to the level of the lowest common denominator. Mind you I doubt if the average UK adult even registered this piece, they will be too concerned with what is happening on Coronation Street. Now if it had bee a younger man who travelled economy class and stayed at the Nana taking in all the "sights" I would have been more interested and so would the guys back in the UK.