Yvette Cooper slaps down taxpayer-funded garments fund amid PM donor row

Yvette Cooper has slapped down the suggestion that taxpayers should pay for clothes for senior politicians and their partners.

She said “of course” the public shouldn’t foot the bill when quizzed about Keir Starmer’s wife Vic being bought outfits by a Labour donor. At the weekend Foreign Secretary David Lammy defended the donations – pointing out that in the US, senior politicians can claim a clothing allowance.

Quizzed if this should happen in the UK, Home Secretary Ms Cooper said: “No, of course not. That’s not the way that we do things in this country.” She continued: “This is a political donation, and I don’t know the details of the donation, but donations are always declared in the proper way.”

The Home Secretary added: “We a very different country to the US… We all recognise huge differences between different countries and the arrangements that we have. I think it’s probably a very good thing, sometimes, that our politics is very different from US politics.”

Reports emerged at the weekend that Mr Starmer may have broken Parliamentary rules by failing to declare donations by Lord Alli. The Labour peer is understood to have paid for outfits and a personal shopper for Lady Starmer.

On Sunday Mr Lammy said there was no taxpayer-funded pot for the PM and his wife Victoria’s wardrobes, unlike the United States where the President receives a generous expenses allowance.

Mr Lammy told theBBC: “The Prime Minister did declare funds that he received from Lord Alli, he’s then gone back to the Parliamentary Commissioner to further check details on some of those funds that have made their way to his wife. So he has done that, and he is seeking to comply with the rules. So this is not an issue of transparency. He is attempting to be transparent.”

He added: “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 and a £38,100 expenses allowance – although there is no specific clothing budget. Mr Lammy said “I’m not suggesting the Prime Minister is broke”, but “successive prime ministers want to look their best – and their partners – for the country, that is what lies behind this”.

The gifts, from prominent Labour donor Lord Alli, were not initially declared in the register of MPs’ interests. The Sunday Times reported that the Prime Minister approached the parliamentary authorities on Tuesday to make a late declaration after being given updated advice.

A No 10 spokeswoman said: “We sought advice from the authorities on coming to office. We believed we had been compliant, however, following further interrogation this month, we have declared further items.”

The guide to the Commons rules states MPs should register “any benefit given to any third party, whether or not this accompanied a benefit for him or her, if the Member is aware, or could reasonably be expected to be aware, of the benefit and that it was given because of his or her membership of the House or parliamentary or political activities”.

Lord Alli has previously donated tens of thousands of pounds worth of clothing, accommodation and “multiple pairs” of spectacles to the Labour leader. Tory leadership hopeful James Cleverly told Sky News: “What we have got to recognise is Keir Starmer and Sue Gray (his chief of staff) have been very, very critical of Conservatives over exactly this – now if your position is that, well, ‘these things happen’ and we should be thoughtful and flexible in our response, that’s fine.

“But if, like Keir Starmer, you have been really aggressive in your criticism of Conservatives for this, then you’ve got to make sure that you are totally above reproach, and he’s failed to do that.”