Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner arrive forward of Labour occasion convention
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner have arrived in Liverpool ahead of the Labour party conference amid an ongoing row over freebies.
Sir Keir said Labour was ‘rebuilding our country’, as he arrived at the conference centre in Liverpool today with the intent of shifting attention away from rows over donations to senior cabinet members.
The PM has come under scrutiny in recent weeks for taking over £100,000 worth of gifts and hospitality in the past five years, including donations to fund glasses as well as his and his wife’s clothes.
But in an apparent shift in approach, Downing Street confirmed last night that neither he nor Ms Rayner or Chancellor Rachel Reeves will accept any gifts for clothing in future.
Arriving at the conference centre in Liverpool along with the deputy PM, Starmer said it was ‘our biggest conference ever and the first one in 15 years with Labour in government’ adding ‘change has started’.
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters have also gathered on Liverpool’s waterfront to coincide with the start of the Labour event amid ongoing anger over the war in Gaza and the rising tensions in the Middle East region.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner arrive in Liverpool ahead of the Labour party conference amid an ongoing row over freebies
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, arriving ahead of the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters have also gathered on Liverpool’s waterfront to coincide with the start of the Labour event. Protestes are seen here holding up a sign calling for a ceasefire and to ‘stop the genocide’
Sir Keir arrived with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and was met by a small group of cheering activists ahead of the formal start of the conference on Sunday.
He said the conference would show ‘how we’re fixing the foundations and rebuilding our country’.
Yesterday Downing Street confirmed that neither Sir Keir Starmer, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner nor Chancellor Rachel Reeves will accept free clothes donations in the future.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said earlier today the decision was made as they did not want voters to believe they are ‘living very different lives’ to people who are ‘really struggling’ in the country .
Ms Nandy said it was important to demonstrate the Government’s priorities are ‘the country’s priorities’,
Ministers have been struggling to defend Sir Keir from scrutiny for accepting £107,145 worth of gifts and hospitality in the past five years, which have been declared in Parliament’s register of MPs’ interests.
This includes taking suits and spectacles worth thousands of pounds from Labour peer Lord Waheed Alli, who also gave high-end clothing to Sir Keir’s wife Victoria. Sir Keir has accepted about £39,000 from Lord Alli since December 2019.
Protesters wave flags amid torn cardboard at a ‘National March for Palestine’ demonstration in support of Palestinians in Gaza, as Britain’s Labour Party’s annual conference gets underway
A protester holds up a flare while taking part in a Palestine Solidarity Campaign demonstration as they march to the Labour Party conference venue
Protesters march during an ‘End the Genocide in Gaza’ march organized by the Friends of Al-Aqsa in Liverpool
Protesters wave flags and gesture at a ‘National March for Palestine’ demonstration in support of Palestinians in Gaza, as Britain’s Labour Party’s annual conference is hosted in Liverpool
Protesters shout slogans at a ‘National March for Palestine’ demonstration in Liverpool in support of Palestinians in Gaza
Sir Keir has also been revealed to have accepted a luxury box at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium when he wants to watch his beloved Gunners. In total he has received almost £40,000 in football tickets provided by the Premier League.
It also emerged on Friday that Ms Rayner and Ms Reeves had both received thousands of pounds in funding for clothes that were previously declared as generic office support.
The Financial Times reported that Ms Rayner received aid from Lord Alli, while Ms Reeves was backed by a donor called Juliet Rosenfeld.
The row has drawn criticism from Labour’s political opponents, who have contrasted the lavish gifts with the Government’s decision to limit the winter fuel payment for all but the poorest pensioners.
Asked about the reasoning behind the decision, Culture Secretary Ms Nandy told BBC Breakfast: ‘For exactly the reason that you just said, that people are really struggling in this country, and we don’t want people to believe that we are living very different lives from them.
‘Most people who go into politics, of all political parties, are ordinary people who want to make people’s lives better.
‘It is important to us that people know that that is what we are as a Government and that we have their priorities absolutely up front and centre of ours.
‘The country’s priorities are our priorities.’
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said earlier today the government does not want voters to believe they are ‘living very different lives’ to people who are ‘really struggling’ in the country
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (right) and British Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner (left) arrive on the day before the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool
Sir Keir has faced scrutiny in recent weeks for accepting £107,145 worth of gifts and hospitality in the past five years
Lady Victoria Starmer (right wearing sunglasses) leaves the Pullman Hotel in Liverpool ahead of the Labour Party conference
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper walks outside the conference venue of Britain’s Labour Party’s annual conference
Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson walks outside the conference venue of Britain’s Labour Party’s annual conference
Ms Nandy said the most important thing the Government had done since coming to office was being ‘open and transparent about what we are doing’, and maintained Sir Keir had followed the rules on donations.
She earlier told Sky News the Government did not ‘want the news and the commentary to be dominated by conversations about clothes, when we have a really positive agenda for this country’.
The Prime Minister is also struggling to get a grip on internal rows within his No 10 operation, after reports of tensions between chief of staff Sue Gray and senior officials.
The leaked disclosure that Ms Gray is paid £170,000, some £3,000 more than the Prime Minister, has added to the rumours of behind-the-scenes difficulties in No 10.
Ahead of the conference, Sir Keir said he was ‘completely in control’ and ‘every day the message from me to the team is exactly the same, which is we have to deliver’.
