Keir Starmer put £2000-a-week chauffeur driven car on expenses while head of CPS

Future Labour leader expensed three times what his successor in the same job would

Keir Starmer was previously head of the CPS (Getty Images)

Keir Starmer billed taxpayers for nearly a quarter of a million pounds in travel costs while he was director of public prosecutions, it has been revealed.

The future Labour leader put nearly three times as much on expenses as his CPS successor Alison Saunders, including first class flights abroad and a chauffeur driven car.

Sir Keir charged taxpayers £161,273 for the vehicle and driver despite living just four miles and a direct Tube ride from the Crown Prosecution Service offices.

The car cost taxpayers an average of £1,920 a week for nearly two years until he stopped using it following embarrassing media reports.

The expenses have been in the public domain for over a decade but were re-reported by newspapers days after Sir Keir doubled down on a controversial attack ad aimed at Rishi Sunak.

Their reemergence could signal a ramping up of attacks against Sir Keir himself following the lurid claims about Mr Sunak's attitudes to the sexual assault of children. The figures were obtained under FOI request by the Declassified UK website.

Labour has in recent months criticised the governemnt for what it says is luxurious or unnecessary spending.

In February the party released a dossier of spending on government procurement cards and accused ministers of “living the high life and treating taxpayers like a cash machine”.

Other expenses in the pot in Sir Keir’s vast pot included a £4,914 flight to Hong Kong, a £6,808 flight to Washington DC and business and first class flights to Jamaica, Thailand, and South Africa.

Sir Keir served as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for five years from 2008-13.

His successor Alison Saunders, who was also DPP for five years, spent £67,340, less than a third of Sir Keir’s total.

Asked about Sir Keir expenses at the CPS, a Labour spokesman said: “As the country’s most senior prosecutor, Keir Starmer’s work getting criminals off the streets, locking up terrorists and securing justice for victims involved vital collaboration overseas to break up international gangs and plots against this country.”