John Bourn

Who is John Bourn?

Sir John Bourn, then an officer of the British House of Commons, was holder of the office of Comptroller and Auditor General and, as such, head of the National Audit Office. He took up his post in 1988 after a series of senior appointments in the Ministry of Defence and the Northern Ireland Office. In May 1998 he was awarded an Honorary Degree from the Open University as Doctor of the University. He was also the first Auditor General for Wales until Jeremy Colman took over this role on 1 April 2005.

On 25 October 2007 his office announced that he would step down early in 2008 after 20 years in the job to avoid any conflicts of interest with other posts he holds.

The decision followed criticism from opposition parties and the media over Bourn's high spending, such as a recent overseas trip that ran up taxpayer costs of more than £16,000. His expenses and conducts have frequently been highlighted in the satirical magazine Private Eye. In September 2008 the magazine published a special report, 'The Bourn Complicity', alleging that under his leadership numerous government expenditure failings escaped scrutiny while Bourn went on unnecessary and extravagant foreign trips, and accepted lavish hospitality from contractors.