Cost of policing Bilderberg conference was £1.3m

A policeman and a protester outside Bilderberg venue (Reuters)

The cost of policing the Bilderberg conference – a meeting of politicians, academics and business leaders – in Hertfordshire last week was more than £1m, the Home Office has revealed.

Policing Minister Damien Green told MPs the police budget for the four-day event, which was attended by David Cameron, George Osborne and Ed Balls, was around £1.3m.

Mr Green published the details in response to a parliamentary question from Labour MP Paul Flynn, one of a number of MPs who have called for increased openness about the organisation’s proceedings. But he said Hertfordshire Constabulary had received an offer of £500,000 of funding from the conference sponsors.

“It seems to be an unnecessary burden on the public purse,” Mr Green said of the policing costs. “I don’t think anything sinister is going on there but it is public money and on that scale we are entitled to find out what is being decided there.”

The proceedings of the Group are not reported on under what are known as “Chatham House rules”.