HIGH-FLYING British MEPs are jet-setting to holiday paradises for jaunts of unimaginable luxury - leaving cash-strapped taxpayers to pick up the bill.
An investigation has uncovered the full extent of the multi-million pound junkets to fabulous destinations like Bali, St Lucia, the Seychelles, Barbados and Australia.
The official trips are billed as fact-finding missions for politicians to learn more about the places they visit.
The globe-trotting tours have cost EU taxpayers £3.1 MILLION since 2004 alone.
One British MEP’s trips cost us £40,000 and him NOTHING.
On one nine-day trip to Australia, just 18 HOURS was spent on official business, while MEPs had FIVE DAYS set aside for cruising on a yacht, watching opera, touring vineyards or visiting Uluru (Ayers Rock).
The full shocking scale of the abuse of taxpayers’ cash—all perfectly legitimate under EU rules—was exposed in a major investigation last week when we were told how greedy Euro MP Tom Wise boasted that he pocketed THOUSANDS in EU expenses.
Now we can reveal that freeloading MEPs have flown the equivalent of to the moon and back TWENTY times since 2004 on jollies paid for by YOU. Nine MEPs boarded the gravy plane for the Australia trip last year—four of them Brits.
Led by Tory Giles Chichester, and including fellow-Tory Neil Parish, Labour’s David Martin and Ulster Unionist James Nicholson, the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Australia and New Zealand sends a groups of its members Down Under every TWO YEARS.
On March 3 their entire itinerary consisted of a private tour of limestone caves, a visit to Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, a drive through Boranup Forest and trips to three vineyards.
Amazingly, despite being able to devote most of the day to vineyards, the MEPs spent just 15 MINUTES touring the New South Wales Parliament House.
And only 30 MINUTES was spent attending Question Time at Canberra’s House of Representatives, with another 30 MINUTES at Question Time in the Senate Chamber.
In fact a detailed breakdown of the nine days shows they managed to squeeze in just 18 hours of official business.
The group’s trips are typical of what EU critics believe amounts to little more than free-loading junkets. Figures from independent think tank Open Europe show UK MEPs’ trips have cost more than £240,000.
Open Europe estimates that MEPs have clocked up more than 10 million air miles since 2004—the equivalent of 20 moon trips—leaving a carbon footprint the same as driving round the world over 400 times.
The most expensive trip was by 67 MEPs to BARBADOS in 2006, which cost European taxpayers around £300,000.
Obscenely, its purpose was a conference on reducing poverty.
Labour’s Glenys Kinnock led a team of MEPs to the luxury resort of the SEYCHELLES in April to visit the tuna fish industry.
The former Labour leader’s wife is third in the MEP travellers’ list, costing taxpayers £28,000.
The British National Party will continue to point out the complete folly of our involvement with the EU and now ask the following question on behalf of British People.
Why should we be expected to cough up millions of pounds so MEPs can travel to luxury resorts where they achieve little more than getting a suntan?