Home Office Faces Backlash Over £10,000 Dinner at Searcys in The Gherkin
The Home Office is under fire for allegedly spending £10,000 on a lavish dinner in London, raising eyebrows over taxpayer money.
London, UK, Home Office, Searcys, Gherkin, Taxpayer Money, G7, Illegal Migration
London: So, the Home Office is in hot water for allegedly splurging £10,000 on a fancy dinner at Searcys, which is in that iconic Gherkin building. Can you believe it?
Apparently, some civil servants got the green light to use a government credit card for this shindig with their Italian pals back in November. The Sun reported that the bill was around £10,350 for 45 guests, but the Standard hasn’t confirmed it yet.
Now, all transactions over £500 are supposed to be made public, but it seems the website hasn’t been updated since November 2024. A bit dodgy, right?
Searcys is a posh spot on the 40th floor, offering stunning views of London. They can host up to 260 guests, and their menu isn’t cheap either. It’s about £49 for two courses and £57 for three. Think black truffle risotto and rump steak.
A spokesperson from the Home Office defended the dinner, saying it was to honor Italy’s role in international security during its G7 presidency. They claimed it was a necessary meeting for important discussions on issues like people smuggling and drug trafficking.
But John O’Connell from the Tax-Payers’ Alliance wasn’t having it. He called the spending “outrageous” and said whoever approved it should be held accountable.
Oh, and it’s unclear if Yvette Cooper was at the dinner. Meanwhile, the UK and Italy are getting chummy, with Labour looking to adopt some of Italy’s border control strategies.
Italy has seen a big drop in illegal migration this year, and Sir Keir Starmer is keen to tackle the small boat crossings to the UK. He’s been trying to move away from the previous government’s controversial Rwanda policy.