British defence ministry spent 50 mn pounds to host VIPs
March 8th, 2011 - 5:25 pm ICT by IANSLondon, March 8 (IANS) Even as 11,000 British troops face the axe as part of efforts to reduce the defence budget, a media report said the country’s defence chiefs spent over a whopping 50 million pounds to host VIPs since combat operations started in Afghanistan in 2001.
Civil servants and officers splashed the cash entertaining MPs, ministers and councillors at lunches, barbecues and lavish black-tie balls. And foreign bigwigs and their partners wined and dined on the Navy’s ships when they docked at ports around the world.
The entertainment bill, revealed in annual reports, is 51 million pounds since 2001, the Sun reports.
It peaked at eight million pounds in 2004, with the bill currently 3.8 million pounds a year.
The revelation comes after The Sun’s War On Waste campaign told how the MoD spent 22.51 pounds on lightbulbs worth 65 pence.
The Ministry of Defence, which has a 38 billion pounds budget deficit, was criticised by relatives of soldiers whose deaths could have been avoided if they had better equipment.
“Ministers will be cracking down on this kind of spending - allowed to spiral out of control under Labour,” an MoD source said.
- RAF holds staff course to beat fear of flying - Apr 21, 2011
- UK chief of defence staff to step down in autumn - Jun 13, 2010
- Prince Harry's helicopter instructor arrested over sex pest claims - Oct 28, 2010
- MoD department that investigated UFO threat for 50 years 'axed' - Dec 04, 2009
- Britain too broke to defend itself against every potential future threat - Jul 23, 2010
- British Defence Ministry's 'disastrous' 500mln pound Chinook chopper deal revealed - Aug 25, 2009
- HMS Invincible may become a Chinese disco - Jan 08, 2011
- Hidden cost of Britain's Afghan war crosses 12 billion pounds - Jul 26, 2009
- Brit Gurkha regiment could face axe over defence spending - Sep 01, 2010
- MoD warns Brit women soldiers 'boozing will make their Bums Look Big' - Jan 13, 2011
- 26/11-terror attack brought sea change in coastal security approach: Antony - Dec 22, 2010
- 150 Gurkhas to lose jobs under UK Strategic Defence, Security Review cuts - Apr 05, 2011
- British troops will soon be wearing Chinese socks! - Jul 01, 2010
- Chelsea's wage bill was whopping 172 million pounds in 2010 - Feb 05, 2011
- How EU wastes aid billions in Africa revealed - Apr 18, 2011
Tags: 50 million pounds, axe, barbecues, bigwigs, black tie, british defence ministry, british troops, budget deficit, civil servants, combat operations, councillors, defence budget, defence chiefs, london march, ministry of defence, mod source, pence, sun reports, tie balls, waste campaign