The British government has billed former prime minister and foreign secretary Liz Truss £12,000 ($15,000) for slippers, bathrobes and food that went missing from the Chevening House mansion that the foreign secretary used to entertain guests. This was reported by the Daily Mail.
Chevening House, a 115-room house, is located in the county of Kent. It has been at the disposal of the Foreign Secretary since 1981. A source told the newspaper that Truss “used Chevening to hold meetings with her inner circle, which often turned into evening parties”.
Liz Truss was foreign secretary from 15 September 2021 to 6 September 2022 in the government of former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Truss was prime minister from 6 September to 25 October before announcing her resignation. Her successor was Rishi Sunak.
Staff at the residence told the government that terry dressing gowns and slippers were missing from Chevening during the period in which Truss was UK foreign secretary. As the Daily Mail reminds us, the ministerial code states that if the head of department holds parties or political events at government residences, it must be at his own expense or with his party’s money.
Truss is contesting the £12,000 part of the bill. She says she used the residence’s facilities and catering while she worked with officials. The parts of the bill affecting the residence of her friends and family in Chevening she has agreed to pay. She will also pay for the purchase of new dressing gowns, which are believed to cost around £120.
A spokesman for Truss said that “she has always paid for the expenses of her personal guests in Chevenning”.
“The latest bill contains a mix of expenses for her personally and expenses for official government events with civil servants, including [Cabinet Secretary] Simon Keyes and senior officials from other departments who met in Chevening during the preparation for [Truss’ transition as prime minister],” the politician’s spokesman said.
He added that it would be inappropriate for Truss to pay expenses for other officials as it would then be a breach of the Public Service Code.
In December 2022, The Guardian wrote, citing sources, that traces of cocaine were found in Chevening after a party attended by Truss’ political allies. Staff at Chevening claimed to have found traces of white powder on two occasions on a side table in the game room with a pool table where Truss held meetings.
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