Liz Truss: Foreign Office Norwich City purchases for 'project'

PM Liz Truss was Foreign Secretary - pictured here announcing sanctions on Russia in March - when both payments were made earlier this year

The £1,841 spent at Norwich City FC when Liz Truss was foreign secretary was for an "overseas shared values children's project", a minister said.

Labour's shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry queried the use of Foreign Office expense cards in a letter to the department last month,

In Parliament, Foreign Office minister Gillian Keegan said the payments were subject to "normal controls".

The Foreign Office would not comment further on what the project was.

The payments to the football club's online shop were made on two dates - £1,318 on 21 October and £523.50 on 21 March, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Approached for comment on what "overseas shared values children's project" was being referred to by Ms Keegan - and why it was necessary to purchase almost £2,000 worth of Norwich City FC merchandise for it - a Foreign Office spokesman said they had nothing further to add.

"We would point you back to the minister's response to the parliamentary question," he said.

At the time of the purchases, South West Norfolk MP Liz Truss was leading the department as foreign secretary.

She has previously tweeted about Norwich City, including in 2018, when she was chief secretary to the Treasury.

Norwich City were relegated from the Premier League to the Championship in May

In her letter, addressed to Ms Keegan, Ms Thornberry wrote that it was difficult to understand why the department had spent money on items such as "high-end private catering; wellness and beauty treatments; extensive supplies from UK wineries; large amounts of home furnishing; and even £1,841 at the Norwich City club shop".

Ms Thornberry followed up her letter with a formal parliamentary question asking the department whether the "normal assurance checks on the use of government procurement cards" had been followed.

On Tuesday in Parliament, Ms Keegan said: "Yes, we are content that the referenced payment was subject to normal FCDO [Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office] controls and in line with government procurement card policy.

"These were payments for an overseas shared values children's project."

A Foreign Office spokesman declined to say what the "overseas shared values children's project" was, or the Norwich City merchandise was used for.

In a response on Twitter, Ms Thornberry questioned what the project was "and why was the appropriate way to fund it through purchases at the Norwich City club shop?".

The football club said it would not be commenting on the purchases.