Angela Rayner has defended herself against accusations of rule-breaking over a New York holiday funded by a wealthy Labour donor. The Deputy PM stayed at a swanky $2.5 million New York apartment owned by Lord Alli during a personal trip, which she duly registered under Parliament’s rules.
However, the Sunday Times reported that she initially failed to declare that her on-off boyfriend Sam Tarry, the former Ilford South MP, was also present.
This controversy follows days of criticism over Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria’s decision to accept high-end clothes and glasses from Lord Alli. Downing Street has now stated that the PM, Ms Rayner and Chancellor Rachel Reeves will decline future gifts of this nature.
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Speaking on the first day of Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool, Ms Rayner told the BBC: “I was on holiday in New York. I paid for my holiday in New York but as friends do, a friend allowed me to say. I often allow people to stay at mine. But what I felt and I went beyond the rules, is because that person had donated to my deputy leadership (Lord Alli), who happens to be a friend and is a politician in their own right, I felt I should declare it.”
(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
When questioned about potentially breaching rules by not declaring Mr Tarry’s stay at the apartment, Ms Rayner responded: “I don’t believe I broke any rules. I had use of the apartment and I disclosed I had use of the apartment. In fact I think I was overly transparent because I think it was important, despite it being a personal holiday, because that person had already donated to me in the past for my deputy leadership campaign.”, reports the Mirror.
The Deputy Labour leader acknowledged the public’s frustration with the donations controversy, but pointed out that gifts have long been a part of politics. She stated: “I get that people are frustrated, in particular the circumstances that we’re in, but donations for gifts and hospitality and monetary donations have been a feature of our politics for a very long time. People can look it up and see what people have had donations for, and the transparency is really important.”
Ms Rayner continued: “I get that people are angry, I get that people are upset. “I think the transparency is there so people can see that. Now, if there is a national debate about how we fund politics and how we do that, and I hear that people are frustrated with that, but we have a system at the moment that says if you get donations, that has to be declared and the rules have to apply to everybody”.
Ms Rayner, who hails from a working-class background, explained that she had to accept donations to cover the expenses of her deputy leadership campaign. Amidst whispers of discord among the ranks, Ms Rayner has come out swinging, denying any rumours that she’s being ousted.
“I hear this nonsense in the news that I’m being pushed out,” she declared. “I’ve had this ever since I was elected as deputy leader. I’m not being pushed out.”
Furthermore, Ms Rayner threw her support behind the PM’s top aide Sue Gray, who’s been under fire from all sides. She praised Ms Gray’s “incredible” work and mentioned the “huge amount of respect in the cabinet” for her.
The Deputy PM, drawing on her trade union rep background, expressed frustration over how Ms Gray is being “demonised”.
In another twist, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson found herself in the hot seat, having to justify accepting a hefty sum from Lord Alli for two birthday bashes. Despite the £14,000 donation raising eyebrows, Ms Phillipson assured Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that everything was above board: “The reason that we can have this conversation is because colleagues have followed the rules. I followed the rules. I’ve set out in the register of interests what donations were for, who they were from, and that’s there for the public to see.”
The politician expressed her frustration, stating: “What I would say is that, of course, it is frustrating to be having this conversation with you this morning, not talking about the wider agenda that we’re setting up here in Liverpool, because we have delivered an awful lot in the very short space of time that we have been in government. And of course, this is a distraction.”
On a more personal note, she revealed she marked her birthday with a low-key celebration, enjoying a pizza outing with her husband and children.
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