Daniel Kawczynski MP defends £22k Polish lessons

A Warsaw-born MP has defended his £22,000 taxpayer-funded Polish lessons after being criticised on social media.

Daniel Kawczynski had the lessons over four years, including sessions worth more than £8,000 in 2020/21, a Sunday Times article stated.

The MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham claimed in a 2019 tweet that he was an "almost fluent Polish speaker".

Mr Kawczynski said MPs were encouraged to "undertake various types of training".

The Conservative backbencher, who moved to the UK when he was six, told the BBC he'd "never been fluent" in Polish.

"Pidgin speaking is one thing, being able to order food is one thing, meeting delegates and speaking to them about trade deals is another," he said.

He said his mother prevented the family from speaking their native language so they could "integrate into British society" after relocating in 1978.

Mr Kawcyznski said he had undertaken the lessons because he is the Chair of the All Parliamentary Group for Poland and meets regularly with Polish parliamentarians and the Ministry of Defence in Warsaw.

The lessons have now stopped, he said, adding he has asked the House of Commons to find cheaper tuition.

The MP once wrote on Twitter that he was an "almost fluent Polish speaker" when explaining he would do all he could to convince Polish authorities to veto an extension of the Brexit Article 50 period.

When asked about the tweet, Mr Kawczynski said: "I was naive to think my Polish was good enough to have intricate discussions on a technical level with the Polish government."

The House of Commons said Members of Parliament can request professional development "on a case-by-case basis".