Dozens of Norwich City kits bought by Foreign Office

The government spent £1,800 on 31 adult Norwich City kits while Liz Truss was foreign secretary, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed.

Payments of £1,318 and £523.50 were made in October last year and in March.

The kits supported an overseas "Shared Values Programme", the Foreign Office said.

It added that Canaries fan Ms Truss did not make the purchases herself and they were one set of 12 different Premier League kits bought for the programme.

The department was asked to give further details about the programme, called an "overseas shared values children's project" by former minister Gillian Keegan, but it said it would not elaborate further.

The FOI request, which provided a breakdown of what the money was spent on, revealed the payments were approved by an "officer employed by the FCDO [Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office] with delegated spending authority".

Labour MP Emily Thornberry originally queried the expenses in a letter to the department, formerly overseen by the South West Norfolk MP and recent prime minister, in September.

The Foreign Office revealed it had bought 15 men's home shirts and 14 women's home shirts across a variety of sizes, along with two goalkeeper shirts and various shorts and socks.

In October, it spent £50 each on various 2021-22 tops and £60 for a goalkeeper shirt, paying half-price in March, with the shirts costing £25 and £30 each.

Recently, Ms Thornberry submitted a formal parliamentary question asking if the football club payments were subject to the department's "normal assurance checks on the use of government procurement cards".

In response, Conservative MP Gillian Keegan said the payments were in line with card policy.

Norwich City said it would not be commenting on the purchases.

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