PM watched election exit polls with aides and family at Covent Garden property owned by Labour donor
Sir Keir Starmer repeatedly used an £18 million penthouse owned by the top Labour donor Lord Alli while campaigning to enter No 10, The Telegraph understands.
The Labour leader was at the property in the Covent Garden area of London on election night to watch the 10pm exit poll results with close aides and family.
It is understood the 5,000 sq ft home was also used for strategy meetings attended by Sir Keir in the run-up to the election, as well as for hosting fundraising dinners.
The disclosure raises questions about Sir Keir’s declarations of the support he received from Lord Alli, whose donations for clothing and glasses have already come under heavy scrutiny.
The Prime Minister declared £20,400 for “accommodation” from the Labour peer during and just after the election campaign, but no detail has been published about what is included.
The use of the penthouse for meetings is understood to stretch further back than the six-week election campaign, meaning some of its use could fall outside the scope of this declaration.
Conservative figures are calling for clarity. No 10 did not dispute that Sir Keir had used the property on election night. A Downing Street spokesman said “everything” had been declared as needed.
Lord Alli, a former TV executive and Labour peer worth £200 million, has found his financial support for Sir Keir and the party under focus in recent weeks.
Among the donations have been tens of thousands of pounds’ worth of suits and spectacles for Sir Keir and £5,000 worth of clothes and personal shopping for his wife Lady Starmer
The Telegraph can reveal details about how Sir Keir, before entering No 10, used a penthouse which Lord Alli bought for £18.3 million in January 2020.
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The three en-suite bedroom property includes a kitchen, a sprawling living room, a TV room, dining room, games room and two dressing rooms, as well as two terraces on its main floor. There is also a roof terrace with views across London.
Sir Keir chose to be at the property, rather than his own home, on the night of the general election on July 4 to watch the exit poll announcement at 10pm.
That broke with the approach of Conservative and Labour party leaders in recent decades, who have tended to see the exit poll numbers from their constituency homes.
About a dozen of Sir Keir’s close aides and family members were present, with a buffet available. Sir Keir later went to the official Labour party at Tate Modern.
It is not the only time the Labour leader used the property, according to well-placed sources. Strategy meetings were held there in the months running up the election.
Lord Alli is also said to have used his home to host events for donors. He was leading Labour’s fundraising efforts for the general election.
Other properties linked to the peer have also been a focus of Labour activity.
Offices used by Lord Alli in Soho, London, host meetings of Sir Keir’s team, according to multiple sources.
Separately, Bloomberg reported that the peer has previously hosted Labour front-benchers in his Kent property, where he celebrated his peerage with a summer party reportedly featuring dodgems and peacocks in the gardens.
Lord Alli was approached for comment via the House of Lords and the Labour Party.
The developments follow a day where fresh details emerged about Downing Street and matters of donations and money as scrutiny on the new No 10 team intensifies.
Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, became the latest Labour figure known to have benefited from fashion donations, with declarations showing she accepted £2,230-worth of free clothing by the brand ME+EM.
Analysis also showed that Sir Keir has declared more free tickets and gifts than any other major party leaders in recent times, coming to a total of £100,000.
Tom Tugendhat, the Conservative leadership candidate, questioned the Sir Keir’s approach to accepting such gifts, saying that some other politicians “decline politely”.
Mr Tugendhat told Sky News: “You’ve got to make a decision. Does it look right? Does it smell right? Pass the sniff test, frankly? And to be number one in that ranking does raise some questions.”
A Conservative Party source said: “Whether it’s an inflation-busting pay rise or passes for glasses. It’s clear Sir Keir is serving himself and his pals.
“Starmer needs to come clean about just what he’s got for free and what he’s given his paymasters in return.”
