sandwich, and then push the boat out at Gordon Ramsay’s fine dining restaurant for dinner, where a seven-course menu costs £125 a head excluding drinks. “Designed by Veere Grenney, this elegant art deco-style apartment is decorated in gentle lilac with light oak floors” and “an idiosyncratic blend of old and new furnishings,” says the hotel’s website. The nightly tariff, available on request, is a cool £6,900 a night. Impecunious VIPs can opt for the cheaper suites at about £1,000 a night, said the Guardian.
“But even a budget-conscious, non-drinking guest is not going to come off lightly after a stay in Claridge’s. A non-alcoholic raspberry crush in the Fumoir bar will set the purse back £8, while classic afternoon tea, albeit accompanied by a selection of finger sandwiches and a selection of pastries, costs £40 a head,” said the paper.
According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), all heads of state invited on official visits to the UK are treated to stays in first-class hotels such as Claridge’s. The cost of 10 of Karzai’s entourage was paid for by the British taxpayer, with the remainder on the Afghan tab.
An FCO spokeswoman said: “Heads of state on guest of government visits are able to stay in a range of hotels of a similar level, including Claridge’s. Accommodation is determined by a variety of factors, including suitability for a head of state, location and security. As you would expect, we do not go into detail on accommodation or other arrangements for visiting heads of state.”
The FCO is said to be proud to have run the trilateral event hosted by the prime minister in Chequers but as reported in this paper the remarks of Karzai against Pakistan and British armed forces have already cast a shadow over the talks. Karzai took several swipes at Pakistan during his interview with The Guardian and ITV.
Newspapers said that given Afghanistan’s dependence on foreign aid, the expensive trip will not go unnoticed. “Around half of the country’s $7bn government budget for 2013-2014 is funded by the international community, according to the tolonews website, and the president is thought to be keen to cut costs in anticipation of international withdrawal from his country,” said the Guardian.