Environmental and human rights groups have expressed outrage that the UK taxpayer spent more than £100,000 sending David Cameron to Saudi Arabia to pay his respects following the death of its king in January.
The huge sum, which dwarfs the amount spent sending the prime minister on other trips overseas, is revealed in new information released by the Cabinet Office showing the cost of all the prime minister’s trips overseas between July 2014 and March 2015. They confirm that on 24 January Cameron and four others took a charter flight to Saudi Arabia “to pay condolences following death of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz”. The total cost of the trip to the taxpayer was listed as £101,792. In contrast, Cameron and five others flew to Australia last November to attend the G20 meetings at a cost of £13,290.
Publication of the figures comes at an awkward time for the government. The UK’s relationship with the kingdom, where capital and corporal punishment are common, is under close scrutiny after the Ministry of Justice pulled out of a £6m contract to help run Saudi prisons after pressure from human rights groups. They are concerned about the imminent execution of two men, Ali Mohammed al-Nimr and Dawoud al-Marhoon, who were juveniles when they were arrested and tortured following protests in 2012. There are also fears for British pensioner Karl Andree, 74, who has been sentenced to receive 360 lashes for possession of alcohol. Full story...
Related posts:
The huge sum, which dwarfs the amount spent sending the prime minister on other trips overseas, is revealed in new information released by the Cabinet Office showing the cost of all the prime minister’s trips overseas between July 2014 and March 2015. They confirm that on 24 January Cameron and four others took a charter flight to Saudi Arabia “to pay condolences following death of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz”. The total cost of the trip to the taxpayer was listed as £101,792. In contrast, Cameron and five others flew to Australia last November to attend the G20 meetings at a cost of £13,290.
Publication of the figures comes at an awkward time for the government. The UK’s relationship with the kingdom, where capital and corporal punishment are common, is under close scrutiny after the Ministry of Justice pulled out of a £6m contract to help run Saudi prisons after pressure from human rights groups. They are concerned about the imminent execution of two men, Ali Mohammed al-Nimr and Dawoud al-Marhoon, who were juveniles when they were arrested and tortured following protests in 2012. There are also fears for British pensioner Karl Andree, 74, who has been sentenced to receive 360 lashes for possession of alcohol. Full story...
Related posts:
- Michelle Obama has spent $363,000 in taxpayer’s money on a trip to see...
- Nicolas Sarkozy spends £10,000 a day on food and keeps 121 cars under his palace...
- Tony Blair claimed £7,000 for new roof just TWO days before leaving Downing Street...
- Hillary gives climate speech, boards private jet that burns 347 gallons per hour...
- Environmentalist Prince Charles flies 70 miles to attend a polo match...
No comments:
Post a Comment