Sir Keir Starmer said he “promised” his family they would not be disturbed by the July General Election and was looking to find a way to study undisturbed.
Keir Starmer ‘promised’ his family they wouldn’t be disturbed. (Image: Getty)
The Prime Minister argued that the donation he declared from Lord Waheed Alli for unspecified accommodation was so his teenage son could study for his GCSEs in a “peaceful” atmosphere.
Speaking of his son, the PM said: ” I wasn’t going to let my son fail or not do well in his GCSEs because of journalists outside the front door.”
The Prime Minister’s register of interest shows he declared £20,437.28 worth of accommodation provided by Labour Peer Lord Waheed Alli from May 29 to July 13 this year
News of the £20,000 gift comes amid an ongoing row over the PM and Labour MPs taking gifts from party donors. Sir Keir has faced a barrage of criticism for accepting Arsenal tickets as well as donations for clothing and glasses.
Sir Keir Starmer says Brits must join a ‘shared struggle’ to create a new Britain. (Image: Getty)
In a bid to explain this latest revelation, Sir Keir told the BBC he had promised his son, 16, he would be able to get to his school and do his exams without being disturbed.
The PM added: “We have lots of journalists outside our house where we live and I’m not complaining about that, that’s fine.
“But if you’re a 16-year-old trying to do your GCSEs and it’s your one chance in life – I promised him we would move somewhere, get out of the house and go somewhere where he could be peacefully studying.
“Somebody then offered me accommodation where we could do that. I took that up and it was the right thing to do.”
Asked if he would like to apologise for the row, he told LBC: “I’m not going to apologise for not doing anything wrong.”
The Prime Minister told Sky News from the US, where Sir Keir is attending the UN General Assembly: “I do think sometimes it’s important just to look behind the number and say, ‘What was the human story behind’.
“I wasn’t going to let my son fail or not do well in his GCSEs because of journalists outside.”
Sir Keir has said ministers will no longer take donations for clothing now they are in Government, but left the door open to receiving more access to events, such as the £4,000 worth of tickets to a Taylor Swift
Polling results published on Monday (September 24) show three in four people believe it is wrong for Sir Keir to accept gifts from businesses or organisations.
The Ipsos study found 75 percent of Brits believe it is “rarely acceptable” or “never acceptable” for a Prime Minister to accept such items. But 15 percent feel it is “usually acceptable” while five percent think it is “always acceptable”.
More than two-thirds of those questioned (68 percent) said it is unacceptable to accept gifts from individuals.
Keiran Pedley, UK Director of Politics at Ipsos, said: “These findings reflect an inherent public scepticism when it comes to the Prime Minister receiving gifts from a wide range of sources.
“Whilst context clearly matters, the public appears to instinctively think the Prime Minister should not be receiving gifts from anyone.”
Infighting behind the scenes at No 10, the winter fuel allowance cuts and rows over donations contributed to a party conference with a more subdued mood than might have been expected after July’s election landslide.
