Who paid for the tickets, Keir? PM celebrates Arsenal win over Spurs
Sir Keir Starmer was pictured celebrating Arsenal’s win over Tottenham yesterday as he faced a growing row over his acceptance of ‘freebies’ from donors.
The Prime Minister was seen at the Premier League clash, alongside Foreign Secretary David Lammy, as he attended a second major sports event in two days.
On Saturday, Sir Keir joined the crowd at Doncaster racecourse alongside his wife Victoria.
The Labour leader enjoyed £76,000 worth of free tickets and clothes – including many Arsenal matches – during the last parliament, which was more than almost any other MP.
But he is now alleged to have broken parliamentary rules by failing to declare donations of clothing for Lady Starmer within the designated time limit.
The gifts, from prominent Labour donor Lord Alli, were not initially declared in the register of MPs’ interests.
The Sunday Times reported the PM approached parliamentary officials last week to make a late declaration after being given updated advice on what needed to be registered.
Sir Keir today insisted ‘rules are being followed’ in his declaration of gifts, as his Cabinet ministers rallied round him amid the scandal.
Sir Keir Starmer was pictured celebrating Arsenal’s win over Tottenham yesterday as he faced a growing row over his acceptance of ‘freebies’ from donors
Arsenal defender Gabriel celebrated scoring his side’s goal as they defeated their bitter north London rivals
It came a day after Sir Keir and Lady Starmer were spotted in the crowd at Doncaster racecourse just hours after the PM returned to the UK following talks with Joe Biden
Lady Starmer is a big horse racing fan and her mother lived in Doncaster. She has found herself at the centre of a row over Sir Keir’s acceptance of political gifts from Lord Alli
The PM, who is an ardent Arsenal fan, attended Sunday’s north London derby with Mr Lammy.
The Foreign Secretary posted a picture of himself and a delighted-looking Sir Keir on social media after Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over their bitter rivals.
Mr Lammy, the MP for Tottenham, wrote: ‘The boss’ team won this time against the run of play, but it’s still early in the season.’
It came a day after Sir Keir and Lady Starmer were spotted in the crowd at Doncaster racecourse just hours after the PM returned to the UK following talks with US President Joe Biden.
Sir Keir and Victoria were pictured smiling on the balcony at the Betfred St Leger meeting.
Lady Starmer is a big horse racing fan and her mother lived in Doncaster. She has found herself at the centre of a row over Sir Keir’s acceptance of political gifts from Labour peer Lord Alli.
The multimillionaire businessman’s donations to Sir Keir reportedly covered the cost of a personal shopper, clothes and alterations for Lady Starmer both before and after Labour’s general election win in July.
MPs are required to register gifts and donations within 28 days.
Lord Alli’s involvement with the Labour leader has already proved controversial after it emerged he had been given a Downing Street security pass without apparently having a Government role.
Sir Keir, speaking to broadcasters on his visit to Rome today, said it was ‘very important’ to him that rules are followed and that ‘we have transparency’.
He said: ‘I’ve always said that. I said that before the election, I’ve reinforced it after the election.
‘And that’s why, shortly after the election, my team reached out for advice on what declaration 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 made the relevant declarations.
‘But for me it’s really important that the rules are followed.
‘That’s why I was very pleased my team reached out proactively – not once, but twice – because it is very important that we have transparency, very important that you and others can see the rules are being followed.’
Lord Alli’s donations to Sir Keir reportedly covered the cost of a personal shopper, clothes and alterations for Lady Starmer
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said Lord Alli ‘is a longstanding Labour peer’ who has been ‘involved in many campaigns’.
Ms Cooper told Sky News: ‘(Lord Alli) was one of the leading people involved in the introduction of the equal marriage legislation some years ago.
‘He’s been involved in very many different things, and he did a lot of work for the Labour Party in the run-up to the election, and I understand he worked on some of the transition arrangements as well, and he no longer has a pass, because that work is now completed. So that has also all been done.’
Asked if the taxpayer should be funding clothes for Lady Starmer as is the case in the US, Ms Cooper said: ‘No, of course not. That’s not the way that we do things in this country.
‘I think this is a political donation, and I don’t know the details of the donation, but donations are always declared in the proper way.’
On Sunday, prior to Tottenham’s loss to Arsenal, Mr Lammy suggested Sir Keir and Lady Starmer accepted donations of clothing so they could ‘look their best’ to represent Britain.
The Foreign Secretary told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme: ‘I’ve just come back from the United States, where US presidents and first ladies have a huge budget paid for by the taxpayer so that they look their best on behalf of the US people. We don’t have that system over here.
‘The truth is that successive prime ministers, unless you’re a billionaire like the last one, do rely on donations, political donations, so they can look their best, both in the hope of representing the country, if you’re in the Opposition, or indeed as prime minister.’
The US president receives a salary of around £305,000 (400,000 US dollars) and a £38,100 (50,000 dollar) expenses allowance, although there is no specific clothing budget.
Sir Keir had a high-profile legal career before entering politics and Mr Lammy added he was ‘not suggesting the PM is broke’.
