Keir Starmer pays back £6k of gifts including Taylor Swift tickets! B
Decision to repay has knock-on implications for other gift-accepting Cabinet ministers before publication of latest financial declarations
Sir Keir Starmer has paid back more than £6,000 of gifts that were about to be made public – but his Cabinet ministers have not followed suit.
Downing Street said the Prime Minister had decided to cover the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four Doncaster racing tickets and clothing loaned to his wife.
The announcement came on Wednesday when the donations were about to be revealed in the latest list of MPs’ financial declarations, potentially further fuelling the “freebies” row.
Sir Keir’s decision to repay was not immediately matched by Angela Rayner, who declared £836 for a visit to a DJ booth in Ibiza, or David Lammy, who was given tickets to watch Arsenal.
A Conservative spokesman claimed Sir Keir had only paid for the gifts because his “back is against the wall” and questioned why other cabinet ministers were not doing the same.
No 10 is planning to publish a new code of conduct for ministers, possibly within days, which will tighten the rules on accepting hospitality in an effort to draw a line under the row.
Questioned on the move at a press conference in Brussels, Sir Keir said it was “right” to repay the donations while a new code of conduct is finalised.
Meanwhile, it emerged Lord Alli, the Labour peer whose donations have been in the spotlight, is under investigation by the House of Lords standards commissioner. The investigation was linked to “non-registration of interests leading to potential breaches” of the peers’ code of conduct.
Multiple well-placed sources told The Telegraph the issue was not linked to donations or any of the recent headlines about Lord Alli. Full details remain unclear.
For weeks the Prime Minister has been dogged by media scrutiny about donations, the appropriateness of accepting gifts and what donors may be seeking in return.
Every few weeks, the parliamentary authorities update a list of MPs’ “financial interests”, with summarised details of donations, payments and gifts of various kinds.
No 10 unexpectedly said that Sir Keir had decided to pay back four sets of gifts that were about to be included under his name in the latest updated publication.
One was a set of four tickets to see Swift in concert originally gifted by Universal Music Group, with a total cost of £2,800, which was dated Aug 20.
Another was a pair of tickets, again to see Swift, which was given by the Football Association and worth £598. It was dated to Aug 15.
A third was paying back the £1,939 cost for four tickets to attend Doncaster Races – contributed originally by Arena Racing Corporation Limited – on Sept 14.
The fourth repayment was £839 for clothing rental from Edeline Lee between Aug 19 and Sept 27. Given Edeline Lee is a women’s clothing designer and Lady Starmer has already had clothing donated in recent months it appears that the gift was linked to her. No 10 declined to comment.
It is believed Lady Starmer was present at one of the Swift concerts and the Doncaster races.
All four sets of gifts were accepted since Sir Keir became Prime Minister. But he has chosen not to repay gifts or “freebies” taken while leader of the Opposition.
Sir Keir will keep £32,200 worth of suits and £2,485 worth of glasses that were paid for by the peer, The Times reported, while Lady Starmer will keep £6,134 worth of dresses he paid for.
Had he not repaid the money, No 10’s emerging argument that Labour frontbenchers will act differently now they are in government would have potentially been undermined.
The decision to repay has knock-on implications for Cabinet ministers who, in the latest declaration of interests, have been shown to have also accepted new gifts after entering government.
Mr Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, accepted £2,300 worth of hospitality from Tottenham Hotspur FC for their derby match against Arsenal in September.
Spokesmen for both cabinet ministers declined to comment when asked if they too had reimbursed the donors of their gifts, like the Prime Minister.
Liam Conlon, Labour MP and son of Downing Street Sue Gray, Sir Keir’s chief of staff, also accepted £1,660 for two tickets to a Swift concert on Aug 20.
A Conservative spokesman said: “Day after day more and more comes out about the scandal at the top of Keir Starmer’s government. This scandal has become a complete distraction from the job of governing.
“It appears Starmer will only be transparent when his back’s against the wall. This announcement today poses more questions than it answers. Why did Starmer take these freebies in the first place? Why haven’t Angela Rayner and other senior party members not paid back donations?”
Asked about the repayments at his Brussels press conference, Sir Keir said: “We came in as a government of change.
“We are now going to bring forward principles for donations, because, until now, politicians have used their best individual judgement on a case-by-case basis. I think we need some principles of general application.
“So, I took the position that until the principles are in place it was right for me to make those repayments.”
Lord Alli was contacted via a spokesman about the investigation by the House of Lords Commissioners for Standards’ Office. No comment was given.
A Labour spokesman said: “Lord Alli will co-operate fully with the Lords’ Commissioner and he is confident all interests have been registered. We cannot comment further while this is ongoing.”
