By Josh Layton

Copyright metro

Sir Lindsay Hoyle has travelled in style on trips around the world in relation to his job as Speaker of the House of Commons (Picture: PA/Getty/Alamy/Shutterstock)

He has been dubbed ‘long-haul Lindsay’ because of his luxury trips around the world — and the Commons Speaker’s latest travel expenses do little to dispel the image.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle cost British taxpayers more than £56,000 as he crossed the globe on parliament-related business in the space of nine months, the newly released data shows.

The MP and his staff have taken multiple business class flights on British Airways as well as on Qatar Airways and Guernsey’s Aurigny airline while staying in ‘deluxe’ hotels.

The trips between November 2024 and July 2025 included, in date order, Brazil, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Malaysia, Strasbourg, Ukraine and Geneva.

The most expensive journey was £8,286 spent on a Qatar Airways business class trip to Malaysia in February, which involved multiple flights.

Two members of staff accompanying the MP for Chorley paid £7,257 each for air travel on the visit, which was aimed at strengthening the UK’s ties with the country and had a focus on parliamentary governance.

Heading to the Bucha Summit in Ukraine, the speaker and a member of staff took business class seats costing £738 each with British Airways to an undisclosed destination, most likely Poland.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle has had numerous days out and foreign trips connected to his role as Speaker of the House of Commons (Picture: Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock)

The most recent trip disclosed was to the World Conference of Speakers in Geneva, Switzerland, which cost Sir Lindsay and two staff £1,595 combined, with the team again flying business class on the airline.

There is one reference to a budget carrier, however, with the Speaker and his team taking an EasyJet journey to Strasbourg. The data suggests they were forced to downgrade by flight cancellations.

In total, the bill for air travel was £48,807, according to the data released by the House of Commons under the Freedom of Information Act.

On their travels, Sir Lindsay, 67, and his staff enjoyed high-end dining that included £217 spent at the China Garden during the Geneva conference in July. Further ‘subsistence’ came at the Mediterranean-themed Mama & Zita restaurant, pizzeria and bar in the city, amounting to £80.

The largest charge for meals was 403 Swiss francs (£374) at the five-star Hotel InterContinental Geneva, which invites guests to ‘step into a world of luxury’ and has a heated outdoor pool.

The landmark Rock Hotel in Gibraltar where Sir Lindsay Hoyle and his team stayed on a visit to the British overseas territory (Picture: Archive image)

Sir Lindsay also dined at the five-star Old Government House Hotel in Guernsey, with the team being charged £236 from an overall £315 bill.

The British parliamentarian visited the island in January for the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth.

He also spent £147 eating out at the Pier 17 restaurant, bar and terrace, which offers fresh seafood by scenic St Peter Port Harbour.

On the Malaysia trip, Sir Lindsay spent £194 on dining at the Majestic Hotel and £56 at the Mandarin Oriental, both in Kuala Lumpur.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has ventured far beyond Westminster as an ‘ambassador’ for the UK parliament (Picture: PA)

Additional travel fees racked up by the Speaker and his staff included two train journeys costing £216 each on Great Western Railway to Cardiff in June and £44 for an Uber at the Geneva event.

He also checked into luxury accommodation during his travels.

The lavish surroundings included the five-star Royal Tulip in Brasilia, Brazil, and the four-star Rock Hotel in Gibraltar, where the speaker’s booking cost £376 — the most expensive stay in the timeframe.

The Speaker’s travels

Gibraltar, December 2024
Flew business class with British Airways along with two staffers. The trio stayed at the four-star Rock Hotel.
Malaysia, February 2025
Flew business class in an £8,286 seat with Qatar Airways. They stayed at the residence of the UK High Commissioner as well as the waterfront Hilton Kuching in Kuala Lumpur.
Strasbourg, March 2025
Flew business class with British Airways but also took an EasyJet economy flight amid cancellations.
Geneva, July 2025
Flew business class with British Airways. Speaker’s fee was covered by the British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union but two members of staff paid £781 and £814 respectively.

The latter venue is advertised as the ‘most historic and deluxe hotel’ in the British overseas territory, where the speaker’s visit was connected to his role as the University of Gibraltar’s chancellor.

On the Malaysia trip, he stayed in the riverside Hilton Kuching, along with two members of staff, with each paying £177 a night.

In Strasbourg, the team opted for the Hotel Cour de Corbeau, which bills itself as one of the oldest hotels in Europe and one of the ‘finest examples’ of Renaissance architecture.

Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle has travelled extensively in connection with his work at parliament (Picture: Lucy North/PA Wire)

The Speaker and two staffers spent £166 each on their stay as they attended the European Conference of the Presidents of Parliament in the city. One of his team had an additional £229 booking at the Hotel Gaia during the event in March, the data shows.

The most recent stay disclosed was at the InterContinental at the sixth World Conference of Speakers in Geneva.

The Speaker’s expenses were covered by the British Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union but two members of staff each paid 340 Swiss francs (£317).

He was dubbed ‘long-haul Lindsay’ when his travel expenses totalling £250,000 dating back to 2021 were revealed by MailOnline in March.

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said: ‘These figures underline once again the considerable costs associated with official overseas travel.

A seafood buffet at the Majestic Hotel in Kuala Lumpur where the Speaker and his team were accommodated (Picture: Archive image)

‘While the Speaker’s trips may be undertaken for parliamentary purposes, taxpayers will want reassurance that every effort is being made to keep expenses reasonable and deliver value for money.’

Although the trips are undertaken as part of his parliamentary role, the Speaker has displayed a taste for the high life.

In 2021, the Metro revealed how he was among MPs who enjoyed thousands of pounds worth of hospitality from Qatar during the ‘Glorious Goodwood’ festival of racing.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Sarah Clarke, Black Rod and Speaker of the House of Lords, Lord McFall of Alcluith arrive to attend a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey (Picture: PA)

A spokeswoman for the Speaker’s Office said: ‘Like his predecessors before him, the Speaker is an ambassador for the House of Commons and has a responsibility to explain and promote its work and to be its representative at inter-parliamentary meetings and conferences, where best practice is shared by legislatures.

‘Value for money and security are key considerations when taking decisions about hotels and travel.

‘The choice of hotel is often designated by conference organisers.’

Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact josh.layton@metro.co.uk

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