News

Rachel Reeves’s full £350k freebie and payments list as she scraps winter fuel allowance_l

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has declared receiving around £350,000 of donations, freebies and supplementary income as the backlash against her plan to axe non-means tested winter fuel payments for pensioners grows.

The Labour MP for Leeds West and Pudsey received £337,152 in political donations between June 2023 and July this year, according to her declarations on the first register of MPs’ financial interests of this Parliament.

She received a further £12,848 for writing an book and in hospitality, including free holiday accommodation, theatre and performance tickets and even a £30 bottle of wine.

The biggest sum received was £99,000 from Green Finance Institute Ltd, followed by two amounts of £35,000 from David Sainsbury, Lord Sainsbury of Turville, who was Finance Director of J. Sainsbury plc from 1973-90 and its chairman from 1992 to 1998.

Reeves

Rachel Reeves declared about £350,000 of donations, freebies and payments (Image: Teeside Live)

Rachel Reeves

Rachel Reeves faces a backlash over winter fuel payments (Image: Getty)

Despite making political donations, Green Finance Institute, says it is “an independent advisor to Government” who assesses the scale of the “financial solutions needed to accelerate the transition to a net-zero and nature positive economy.”

It comes as a backlash has been growing steadily since she announced the scrapping of the winter fuel allowance for millions of pensioners a fortnight ago.

Advertisement

Currently, all 11.4 million pensioners receive an extra £200 to help heat their homes every winter, with those over 80 receiving a £300 payment.

However, under her plans, only those receiving pension credit or other means-tested benefits will remain eligible.

The Labour government says it will save £1.4 billion for the Treasury to help plug a 21.9 billion “black hole” allegedly left by the Tory predecessors.

 

 

Beyond the donations, Ms Reeves was paid two instalments from London publisher Hodder & Stoughton Limited last autumn.

She got £1,350 for 12 hours recording an audio book and a further £6,667 as an advance for writing a book.

Her book The Women Who Made Modern Economics was later published in October that year.

The theatre and classical music buff also declared attending eight performances, including First Night of the Proms and Last Night of the Proms, worth a total of about £1,460.

She received four complimentary tickets from the BBC, totalling £330, two each for the two famous annual musical events.

Proms

Ms Reeves attended the Last night of the Proms on the BBC (Image: BBC)

The National Theatre also provided her with a total of six tickets valued at £499 for two performances in 2023.

A National Theatre spokeswoman said: “The National Theatre has a small number of complimentary tickets available for guests. We invite guests from a broad spectrum of industries including journalists, arts industry professionals and politicians to attend our productions.”

From July 28 to August 4, 2023 she had free use of a Cornwall holiday home provided by private donor Richard Parker, which was valued at £1,400.

Advertisement

During the break she posted a photo of St George’s Cove in Padstow, best known for celebrity chef Rick Stein’s seafood restaurants, captioned: “Cornwall morning sunshine.”

It was just months after he was chosen to be Labour’s candidate for West Midlands mayor.

She had previously accepted donations from him totalling £12,000 going back to 2019.

A Labour spokesperson said at the time: “Richard Parker is a successful businessman with a proven track record of delivering for the West Midlands, bringing over £1billion of investment to the region.”

 

 

Wine bottle

Ms Reeves lowest declaration was a £30 bottle of wine (Image: Getty)

She also declared a free stay at a Haven holiday park in Scarborough with two members of staff just two days before the Cornwall break.

She and one employee stayed one night with the other staying on a second, with hospitality, to a value of £1,100.

It was following “my visit there in my capacity as Shadow Chancellor,” she recorded.

Ms Reeve’s lowest value declaration was a £30 bottle of wine Christmas gift from the Betting and Gaming Council in London.

Người phát ngôn của Đảng Lao động cho biết: “Mọi khoản quyên góp đều được khai báo đầy đủ và tuân thủ mọi quy định.”

Ms Reeve has been approached for comment.

LEAVE A RESPONSE

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *