MPs' big World Cup final hotel bills

Prime Minister John Key. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Prime Minister John Key has warned taxpayers to brace themselves for some hefty ministerial hotel bills in the next expense release courtesy of the Rugby World Cup final in London.

The latest release of ministers' expenses included a $2100 a night hotel stay for Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee during a defence summit and a fortnight long stay by Foreign Minister Murray McCully in New York when New Zealand was chairing the Security Council, costing $US500 a night.

Mr Key today defended his ministers for their travel costs.

"For the most part, ministers and MPs try very hard to be conservative in their spending, but sometimes we are forced to go into very expensive environments."

In Mr Brownlee's case, the meeting he was attending was hosted at the hotel, the Shangri La in Singapore and was the largest defence meeting in the Asia Pacific.

Much of the Prime Minister's own travel was paid for by the Government of the host country, Mr Key said.

"But for instance, I'm going to the Rugby World Cup final and [the cost of] a hotel room in London at that time is huge."

A spokesman for Mr Key confirmed the Prime Minister would not be officially hosted by the British government on his visit.

While there he will also have a private dinner with British prime minister David Cameron and meet with the Queen.

For that weekend, the cheapest rooms at the hotel Mr Key usually stays at are $1300 a night. The more exclusive suites Mr Key is likely to use are from $2200 to $4000 a night.

Mr Key is also likely to have at least three staff travelling with him.

Labour leader Andrew Little will also travel to London for the final after an official visit to China, but will pay for the London leg out of his own pocket. The Leader of the Opposition gets a limited amount of international travel paid for by the taxpayer.

Trade Minister Tim Groser will be joining Mr Key in Brussels and London while Sports Minister Jonathan Coleman will also be at the game - he is to speak at a UNESCO Conference on sports doping in Paris and will have a range of health related meetings in London.

Education Minister Hekia Parata has been in Europe for an OECD education summit and went to the All Blacks' quarter final at Cardiff.

She had also been invited to the semi-final on Sunday morning NZ Time but will return to New Zealand before the final.

Mr Key leaves for Europe tonight. He will travel first to Marrakesh to chair a meeting of the International Democrat Union, before travelling on to Brussels to meet with President of the European Council Donald Tusk and President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker.

Mr Key will use that trip to focus on starting free trade negotiations with the EU, which has recently decided to move on FTAs with New Zealand and Australia.