Keir Starmer’s at it again helping himself to another freebie as £170k Sue Gray joins him.H
The Prime Minister has become embroiled in another freebie scandal today, as he enjoyed tickets to a football game last weekend – alongside a controversial lobbyist.
Keir Starmer defends his attendance at Arsenal games
Sir Keir Starmer faces fresh questions over his free football tickets after he attended the North London derby last weekend between Arsenal and Tottenham.
It has emerged that the Prime Minister brought along his foreign secretary David Lammy and his chief of staff Sue Gray as they all enjoyed lavish hospitality tickets at Tottenham Hotspur’s White Hart Lane stadium.
The tickets, paid for by Tottenham, have raised eyebrows after they placed Sir Keir and his allies next to a controversial and powerful football lobbyist who fought for the much-hated breakaway Super League.
Katie Perrior sat next to Sue Gray, who has been at the centre of her own crisis in Downing Street over her alleged acrimonious relationships with senior colleagues.
Ms Perrior is the founder and chair of iNHouse Communications, which worked on the attempt to launch the European Super League. The lobbyist’s firm also helps advise Google, who have been criticised for their legal tax avoidance.
Lammy took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share a photograph of himself and Sir Keir (Image: X/DAVID LAMMY)
Keir Starmer has accepted almost £40,000 worth of free tickets for football matches (Image: Getty)
Spurs were one of the six English clubs that launched an audacious bid to leave the Premier League for the new elite league in April 2021 – before fan backlash forced each club to back down.
While Ms Perrior sat next to the powerful government officials, there is no suggestion that she used the match as an opportunity to lobby ministers.
However, the timing of the photographs of the British PM and his allies hobnobbing with lobbyists makes it even more shameful for the government.
It took place just hours after allegations emerged surrounding Sir Keir and his wife, Victoria, taking donations for clothes from a Labour mega-donor, Lord Alli.
Sir Keir is hoping to have drawn a line under the scandal on the eve of the Labour Party conference (Image: Getty)
At the time, David Lammy boasted about the tickets, taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share a photograph of himself and Sir Keir. He posted: “The boss’ team won this time against the run of play, but it’s still early in the season.”
Underneath the X post, dozens of users can be seen asking: “Who paid for the tickets?”
Sir Keir has endured a nightmare past week as he has tried to defend himself for accepting more than £100,000 of freebies and gifts over the last parliament.
This includes almost £40,000 worth of free tickets for football matches, which potentially risks a conflict of interest as the government prepares to bring in a new regulator opposed by the industry.
Senior Tory MP John Glen told the Daily Mail: “Is there no freebie that Sir Keir will not take? His behaviour is as hypocritical as it is incredible. And in view of Labour’s plans for a new football regulator, his presence and that of Sue Gray is a clear conflict of interest.”
Tory MP Ben Obese-Jecty added: “Keir Starmer pledged to crack down on lobbying yet he seems comfortable to be lobbied if it affords him privileged access to watch Premier League football.
“For the governance of our national game to be agreed by the PM via informal meetings in VIP boxes over prawn sandwiches, with Sue Gray again shaping policy and without Civil Service oversight, should be a huge concern to football fans across the country.”
Sir Keir and his team are hoping to have drawn a line under the scandal on the eve of the Labour Party conference after announcing yesterday that they will no longer take donations for clothes.
