Keir Starmer faces a backlash for using a £30k taxpayer allowance to kit out his flat with luxury sofas and a £1.4k bed after his row over Boris Johnson’s wallpaper
Sir Keir Starmer has sparked a potential backlash after splashing a whopping £30,000 of taxpayer cash on a swanky makeover for his Downing Street home.
The Prime Minister, who famously grilled Boris Johnson over his own “wallpapergate” scandal, has kitted out the No11 flat with a list of luxury items including a £1,400 designer bed and a £1,395 TV unit. Fresh details show that Sir Keir and Lady Starmer didn’t hold back when furnishing their four-bedroom grace-and-favour pad following their 2024 election victory.
Officials acting for the couple spent £4,440 on three plush sofas, £1,207.50 on a pair of dining tables and £990 to secure six kitchen chairs, according to figures revealed by GB News.
The spending spree didn’t stop at the seating. The taxpayer was also billed £1,630.26 for a single shower screen and £750 for a luxury armchair.
The sleeping arrangements were equally pricey, with the main £1,400 bed accompanied by a second bed worth £561.67 and a third costing £482.50.
Even the smaller touches added up quickly, with two Ottoman blanket boxes totalling over £600, a £140.83 console table and two dressing tables worth a combined £397.83.
The renovation costs were rounded off with a £9,164 bill for painting works, £2,803 for “storage throughout,” and £721.94 for new blinds.
The massive spend is likely to cause a stir as millions of Brits continue to struggle through the cost-of-living crisis.
It also leaves the PM open to claims of hypocrisy following his relentless attacks on Boris Johnson’s home improvements.
Back in 2021, Starmer hammered the then-PM for his “gold-plated” renovations and expensive wallpaper.
While Starmer’s spending falls within the official £30,000 annual allowance for maintaining the flat, the optics of the refurbishment are a far cry from the belt-tightening being asked of the public.
Downing Street has remained tight-lipped on exactly how much input the Starmers had on the interior design, but sources suggest they weren’t entirely hands-off.
An insider, said: “It’s not unusual for the PM’s family to be consulted on certain elements of the refurbishment but wouldn’t have the details.”
A Downing Street spokesman, said: “The flat was empty when the PM entered office, so the Cabinet Office furnished it as per long-standing guidance across successive administrations.
“The refurbishment came under the allocated budget, and none of the items belong to the Prime Minister.
“They will remain the property of the Government for future use.”
Sources insist the refurbishment was carried out “on a modest basis” and any items bought will be “permanently retained by Government”.
Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds resided in the larger 11 Downing Street apartment rather than the traditional No. 10 flat during his premiership.
The 2020 refurbishment of the flat, led by designer Lulu Lytle, cost over £200,000, exceeding the £30,000 annual public grant.
The funding, including loans from donor Lord Brownlow, caused a “wallpapergate” scandal, leading to investigations and a fine
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