Sir Keir Starmer pays back more than £6,000 worth of gifts amid donations row
The prime minister has committed to overhauling hospitality rules for ministers, as ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston reports
Sir Keir Starmer has paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts he has received since becoming prime minister amid a row over freebies.
The prime minister is covering the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four to the races and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer.
It comes after Sir Keir and other Cabinet members – who vowed to “clean up” British politics when they won the election – faced weeks of criticism for accepting tens of thousands of pounds worth of freebies from wealthy donors.
The prime minister has committed to overhauling hospitality rules for ministers to ensure better transparency about what is provided following the backlash.
Gifts paid for by Sir Keir include four Taylor Swift tickets from Universal Music Group totalling £2,800, two from the Football Association at a cost of £598, and four to Doncaster Races from Arena Racing Corporation at £1,939.
An £839 clothing rental agreement with Edeline Lee, the designer recently worn by his wife to London Fashion Week, along with one hour of hair and makeup, was also covered by the Prime Minister.
Sir Keir said it was “right” for him to repay the donations while new principles for accepting gifts were drawn up.
He told reporters in Brussels: “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 judgment 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.”
On Wednesday, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister has commissioned a new set of principles on gifts and hospitality to be published as part of the updated ministerial code.
“Ahead of the publication of the new code, the Prime Minister has paid for several entries on his own register. This will appear in the next register of members’ interests.”
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However, Sir Keir has also accepted a further £6,134 in “clothing and personal support” for Lady Starmer in June, from prominent Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli, according to the latest register of interests published on Wednesday.
That declaration is likely to come under scrutiny after it emerged earlier on Wednesday that the peer is under investigation by Parliament’s standards watchdog over a potential breach of the members’ code of conduct.
The Lords’ commissioner is looking at an “alleged non-registration of interests” by the former media executive.
The prime minister also took £920 from Tottenham Hotspur stadium for two tickets to the north London derby in September, and £1,000 from Arsenal FC for a game in August, according to the register.
He has previously defended his decision to accept hospitality in order to attend football matches, citing security concerns which prevent him from watching from the stands without a large and expensive police presence.
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