Labour peer claims royal family not doing ‘real work’ as £100m funding questioned

Labour peer claims royal family not doing ‘real work’ as £100m funding questioned Labour peer Lord Foulkes of Cumnock argued that the monarchy is not providing value for money - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in Labour backbenchers have called for a "root-and-branch review" of royal funding after the sovereign grant was approved by the House of Lords. Peers gave unanimous approval on Wednesday to £99.9 million to cover the monarch’s official duties and the upkeep of royal palaces for 2027-28. Now set to become law, the Sovereign Grant Bill alters existing legislation by removing rules that previously stopped the annual grant from falling year-on-year. The royal family was previously allocated £137.9 million for 2026-27, comprising £97.6 million in core funding alongside £40.3 million set aside for the Buckingham Palace reservicing programme. A temporary uplift to the grant had been provided over the 10-year period leading to 2027 to finance that scheme. This year’s reduced sovereign grant figure of £99.9 million reflects the completion of work to update the plumbing and wiring at Buckingham Palace. The grant itself comes from a percentage of profits generated by the Crown Estate—a portfolio of land and property across the UK belonging to the reigning monarch—with the remaining revenues going to the Exchequer. Labour peer Lord Foulkes of Cumnock argued that the monarchy is not providing value for money and he called for the Public Accounts Committee to “conduct a full root-and-branch review of all royal funding and finances”. He also criticised the royal family for the use of private jets and helicopters for short domestic trips, despite speaking out about climate change, and insisted that many of the working royals are not doing “real work”. Lord Foulkes said: “When we ask the public to fund an institution to the tune of about £100 million a year through the sovereign grant, at a time where sadly we know many of the people in this country face severe pressure on their household budgets, we here have a duty to ask two fundamental questions. “First of all, are we getting value for money? And secondly, do the actions of the institution match the value that it preaches? I would argue that in both cases the answer is no. “We hear various royal pronouncements on climate change, yet official reports reveal hundreds of private jet and helicopter flights for short domestic trips – one recently to the races where the royals concerned could have easily gone by car. “And the taxpayer has funded two new helicopters for the royal family, whereas mountain rescue for their helicopters, have to raise money through charitable efforts. Now, is that right in the 21st century?” The former MP added: “While European neighbours have streamlined their royal houses, we continue to fund a sprawling network of so-called working royals. “These ribbon-cutting duties… That is not real work. Not like a teacher who worked five days a week, or a nurse in a geriatric hospital who might be working a 12-hour shift. “It’s not real work that they do. I might just say that Princess Anne is a notable exception, and it’s interesting that all her offspring have given up their royal titles and work for a living. “Perhaps that’s an example that other members of the royal family might think about?” Another Labour peer, Lord Sikka, called for “major reforms” to both the calculation of the sovereign grant and the transparency around royal finances. He said: “This Bill comes at a time when many households are struggling to make ends meet. “Under this Bill, the core funding of the royal household, that is, after ignoring the money allocated for refurbishment of Buckingham Palace, rises from £51.8 million for 2024-25 to £99.9 million for 2027-28. “That is an increase of 97 per cent. I’m not aware of any ordinary household that has secured an increase of this magnitude in its income to discharge its essential duties.” He added: “Major reforms are needed on transparency, accountability, calculation and the grant of the sovereign grant. “The royals frequently say that they wish to be treated as normal people. I urge the minister and the Government to fulfil that particular wish.” Responding, Treasury minister Lord Pitt-Watson explained that the core funding for the sovereign grant is nearly £100 million due to a maintenance backlog for other royal residences, which was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. He said: “The completion of the capital programme at Buckingham Palace does not mean that all capital programs have disappeared. “There remains a large and complex historic estate that requires ongoing maintenance and long-term planning. That has been included in this budget. “There is a need to address maintenance backlog, to address aging systems, to strengthen cyber resilience, to improve energy efficiencies. “These funding requirements have been assessed through a detailed bottom-up assessment of the royal household’s costs and an assessment of the expectation of the Crown’s estate’s expected profits over this period, but the key thing is the bottom-up assessment, which comes to £99.9 million, and then that is reflected across to the 20.5 per cent of the Crown Estate… “So while the Bill does reduce the grant, it’s done in a way that should reflect the royal household’s genuine funding requirements for the years ahead, rather than setting the grant to an arbitrary figure. “This is something that has gone via the royal trustees, including the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.” Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments