Sir Keir Starmer has come under scrutiny over the past week for the more than £100,000-worth of gifts he has accepted.
It started with controversy over his wife’s clothes and has escalated since Sky News’ Westminster Accounts project revealed he has been gifted more freebies and hospitality than any other MP since 2019 – a total worth £107,145.
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His acceptance of football tickets has proved particularly contentious, with some government officials reportedly concerned about a potential conflict of interest.
But what exactly has Sir Keir been criticised for, what are his party’s concerns, and what has he said about it?
His wife’s clothes
Talk of the PM’s gifts began last weekend, when The Sunday Times reported he had breached parliamentary rules by failing to declare some of his wife’s high-end clothes were bought for her by his biggest personal donor, Lord Alli.
Specifically, it was revealed Lord Alli, former chairman of online fashion retailer Asos, paid for a personal shopper, clothes, and alterations for Lady Victoria Starmer both before and after the Labour leader became prime minister in July.
MPs are required to register gifts and donations within 28 days of receiving them, but it is understood the donations for Lady Starmer’s clothes were submitted late.
Conservatives have been calling for an investigation into the potential breach of rules, which a spokesperson for Number 10 said was an oversight that had been corrected.
“We believed we’d been compliant, however, following further interrogation this month, we’ve declared further items,” the spokesperson told Sky News.
Sir Keir has also received – and disclosed – other gifts from Lord Alli totalling £39,122.
These donations included an unspecified donation of accommodation worth £20,437, “work clothing” worth £16,200, and multiple pairs of glasses equivalent to £2,485.
Some Tory MPs have condemned Sir Keir for accepting the gifts at all, with shadow science and technology secretary Andrew Griffith saying: “It beggars belief that the prime minister thinks it’s acceptable that pensioners on £13,000 a year can afford to heat their home when he earns 12 times that but apparently can’t afford to clothe himself or his wife.”
His comments refer to the government’s decision to cut winter fuel payments for most pensioners.
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Football tickets
The Premier League is one of the biggest donors of hospitality, and Sir Keir – a renowned Arsenal fan – has received almost £40,000 in tickets overall since December 2019.
He has declared £12,588 of gifts from the Premier League, numerous hospitality tickets to Arsenal matches costing well over £10,000 in total, plus two Euros finals tickets costing £1,628 and thousands of pounds’ worth of tickets from other Premier League clubs.
Sky News has learnt officials are warning the prime minister that he could be opening himself up to inappropriate lobbying by continuing to accept football tickets, as the government is planning to set up an Independent Football Regulator for the professional men’s game.
Ministers are usually told to avoid hospitality from any organisation connected to an ongoing government regulatory decision.
Talk over his gifts, which include four tickets to a Taylor Swift concert totalling £4,000, also comes amid controversy over the prices concert-goers and football fans are having to pay to attend events.
What has Starmer said in response to criticism?
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Speaking to journalists this week, the prime minister said “all MPs get gifts” and he thinks the need to declare them is “a good framework”.
“Wherever there are gifts from anyone, I’m going to comply with the rules,” he said.
“It’s very important to me that the rules are followed. I’ve always said that. I said that before the election. I reinforced it after the election.
“And that’s why shortly after the election, my team reached out for advice on what declarations should be made so it’s in accordance with the rules.
“They then sought out for further advice more recently, as a result of which they’ve made the relevant declarations.”
On his acceptance of Arsenal tickets, he added: “I’m a massive Arsenal fan. I can’t go into the stands because of security reasons. Therefore, if I don’t accept a gift of hospitality, I can’t go to a game. You could say: ‘Well, bad luck’.
“That’s why gifts have to be registered. But… never going to an Arsenal game again because I can’t accept hospitality is pushing it a bit far.”
Read more:
Explained: How MPs declare financial interests
How to check your own MP’s earnings and donations
Tugendhat says Starmer gifts ‘raise questions’
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Another of the opposition’s critiques of the PM has been his so-called “hypocrisy”.
On Sunday, former home secretary and Tory leadership hopeful James Cleverly told Sky News Sir Keir was “very, very critical of the Conservatives” over similar controversies and had “basically got his job by criticising others”.
While Sir Keir didn’t comment on gifts during his election campaign, he regularly labelled former PM Rishi Sunak and his government as “out of touch” with the public’s financial struggles.
Some of the PM’s cabinet members have leapt to his defence – though with differing arguments in his favour.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told Sky News Sir Keir works “incredibly hard” and therefore deserves a “wider life experience” rather than simply working every second of the day.
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Foreign Secretary David Lammy has argued prime ministers and their spouses must “look their best” on the world stage, and therefore accepting gifts of clothes is acceptable when there is no taxpayer-funded budget for it.
But there have been murmurings of discontent within the Labour Party, with some backbenchers telling Sky News they are deeply frustrated with the way this story has been handled by Sir Keir’s top team.
