Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer spent £160,000 on chauffeur driven cars during his five years as Director of Public Prosecutions at the Crown Prosecution Service - three times the amount spent by his successor in the same role over the same period.
Questions are now being raised about whether Labour can truly be trusted with public money and financial responsibility.
Starmer’s total travel bill stood at £236,485 including business and first-class flights in the thousands.
The role is not traditionally understood to require extensive travel and is based in London.
James Murray defended Sir Keir Starmer over the spending
GB News
On GB News Breakfast this morning presenters Stephen Dixon and Ellie Costello pressed shadow financial secretary to the Treasury James Murray about the implications of Starmer's lavish spending on the party's credibility.
Murray said: "Every single pledge we have made, every single promise we have made in opposition is fully costed and fully funded so people can have confidence in us that we know how we would raise the money to pay for pledges we make, and we will spend public money wisely."
The shadow minister was challenged on whether the Labour leader could be trusted with public money given his record as Director of the Crown Prosecution Service.
He added: "I think what people are looking for in the Labour Party is an alternative to this Government and an alternative to the Government who has presided over a decade or more of low economic growth."
Rounding on the Government’s record on waste he continued: "This Government has wasted so much money - look at all of the Covid fraud that happened during the schemes under Rishi Sunak when he was Chancellor.
"All of that money lost, all of that money written off, there are dossiers of waste and fraud, which we're aware of.
"We would make sure that public money is spent wisely because we really recognise the importance of public money being spent on people's priorities.
"Every single pledge that we have made, every single promise that we've made in opposition is fully costed and fully funded so people can have confidence in us that we know how we would raise the money to pay for pledges we make and that we would spend public money wisely.”
Sir Keir Starmer has promised Labour can be trusted with taxpayer money
PA
Starmer isn’t the only leading Labour figure to come under fire for excessive spending.
Just two years ago, the party’s Deputy Leader Angela Rayner found herself in the spotlight as it emerged the Labour MP for Ashton-under-Lyne had spent £2,100 of taxpayers’ money on Apple technology including £249 for personalised air pods.
In 2015, Rachel Reeves the current shadow Chancellor was one of 19 Members of Parliament to have her official taxpayer funded credit card suspended by IPSA having accrued over £4k of invalid expenses.
Critics will argue that these incidents highlight a double standard within the party and undermines its credibility on financial matters.
