John Bercow, the Speaker of the Commons, has alone obtained more than £13,000 worth of free tickets for sporting events since the last general election.
Bercow, an avid Arsenal fan, has received 19 sets of free tickets to football and tennis matches, more than any other MP.
The latest Register of Members’ Financial Interests, shows Bercow accepted £7,340 worth of football tickets and £5,589 worth of tennis tickets. These include two passes for the royal box at Wimbledon provided by the Lawn Tennis Association, which were worth £3,480.
Bercow’s spokeswoman said: “It is no secret that the Speaker is a keen sports fan and watches matches live whenever possible. All hospitality is declared in full and on time to the registrar of members’ interests in accordance with the rules.”
Across the UK, the total value of free tickets handed out to MPs is a whopping £123,798.
Football is top of the list as the most popular sport with 55 sets of free tickets handed out to MPs, worth £30,145. Horse racing is also popular with members of parliament with tickets for the races coming to £29,800.
Media companies gave more tickets than any other type of company, with tickets worth a combined total of £23,376. These came from media organisations such as ITV (£16,195), BT (£4,725) and the BBC (£216).
Image: National Assembly for Wales
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