Welsh Labour blew £1.5m at New York restaurants and exclusive private members club
EXCLUSIVE: More than £5,000 was spent at Soho House in west London, a retreat for "creative thinkers" where items on the menu include truffle pizza costing £42.
The Welsh Government spent a dizzying £1.5 million on hospitality between 2022 and 2023, newly unveiled figures have shown - including £15,000 at a swanky New York restaurant.
And the revelations have shocked Andrew TC Davies, later of the Welsh Conservative Group in the Senedd, who claimed Labour politicians were "living a well-documented life of luxury".
The Welsh Government - now led by First Minister Eluned Morgan - used procurement cards to spend £1,494,599 - an 81 percent more than the £821,871 racked up the previous year.
The official figures show bills included £7,949 and £15,933 at Zou Zou’s in Manhattan, where dishes include a lobster kebab at £39 ($51) a pop and fire-roasted lamb, costing £99 ($130).
Mr Davies told Express.co.uk: “These spends will shock taxpayers.
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“Labour politicians have a well-documented love of luxury, but it’s always someone else who pays for it.
“Many hard-pressed pensioners will struggle to make ends meet this year after Labour’s unforgivable winter fuel payment cut, but you can bet that the Labour Welsh Government’s taxpayer-funded credit cards will keep on swiping."
Other expenditure included £5,158 was spent at the exclusive Soho House in West Hollywood, a members-only club which is billed as a retreat for “creative thinkers”.
Menus at the club feature items such as a £42 truffle pizza. While it is unclear what the specific expenditure actually covered, transactions were listed under “exhibitions and events”.
Extra spending included £2,912 on products from GoPro, which is known for its extreme sports cameras, plus a £625 limousine service in Canada, and £178 at a Texan BBQ restaurant.
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A total exceeding £2,000 was spent on a French catering firm in April, while £256 went towards an alcohol retailer in the US.
The Labour administration is under considerable scrutiny at the moment, not least over the state of public services.
NHS waiting times in Wales are nine times worse than in England, with the backlog of patients waiting more than a year for treatment hitting crisis levels, recently figures have indicated.
A Welsh Government spokesman said: “Procurement cards reduce administration costs and are used by government departments across the UK.
"We have rigorous processes in place to limit, monitor and control their use.
“Transactions are reviewed, require approval by senior managers and are subject to regular internal audit. Transparency is important and we publish detailed information on procurement card use every year.”
They continued: “Examples of procurement card use include fuelling and maintaining the Welsh Government fisheries protection vessels, renewal of software licences, health and safety related expenditure and overseas events and exhibitions to promote Wales, including extensive St David’s Day activities.
“The latest figures reflect a return to pre-pandemic levels of travel and promotional activity.”
Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is also under the microscope over hospitality and gifts accepted by senior figures with the PM himself having paid back £6,000 since he came into office.
