Wes Streeting has risked fury after he used a London penthouse owned by wealthy donor Lord Alli for a £20,000 fundraiser, it has been revealed.
Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Image: Getty Images)
The latest claims follow reports that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stayed at the property prior to the July 4 General Election in order to give his son somewhere quiet to study prior to his A-Levels. Labour insists no rules were broken.
The Health Secretary declared the event’s value as £4,600, covering the cost of drinks and catering provided by Lord Alli.
Co-hosted by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, it raised £20,000 in donations for the pair of them, prompting fresh questions about the extent of Lord Alli’s provision of properties to Labour MPs.
Sir Keir used the £18 million property on several occasions, while Deputy PM Angela Rayner stayed at a flat in New York, also owned by the peer.
Sir Keir Starmer addresses the United Nations in New York (Image: Getty Images)
Lord Alli bought the Covent Garden flat in January 2020, three weeks after Sir Keir announced his bid for the Labour leadership.
The PM is being urged to clarify details of a six-week stay at the flat during the general election campaign, with concerns he may have breached electoral law.
In March 2022, Mr Streeting hosted a reception at the property, prompting speculation within the party that he was gearing up for a potential leadership bid, should Sir Keir opt to step down.
Attendees included former EastEnders actor Lord Cashman and LGBT rights activist Linda Riley, reported The Telegraph.
Kim Leadbeater, MP for Batley and Spen, is the sister of murdered Jo Cox (Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)
At the time, Mr Streeting stressed that Sir Keir’s office was “fully aware of the event.”
Ms Leadbeater, MP for Batley and Spen and the sister of the late Jo Cox, split the money raised at the event equally with Mr Streeting.
A spokesman for Ms Leadbeater said: “Everything was declared at the time, and it was perfectly legitimate.”
Mr Streeting’s spokesman added: “This was declared years ago. Wes is proud of the support Waheed Alli has given the Labour Party.
“He has contributed so much, never asked for anything in return, and was instrumental in Labour’s victory, which is why the Tories are targeting him.”
Sir Ian McKellen is a prominent supporter of the Labour Party (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Speaking in New York on Thursday, Sir Keir insisted, “nothing wrong has been done here.”
He explained: “Everyone has complied with all the rules. Sometimes it takes time to go through the details, which may or may not provide context for people to make their own judgments. But look, I understand why you’re asking questions.”
Sir Keir also ducked questions about his decision to film a clip at the property during the pandemic in December 2021, especially given a family photo and Christmas cards were visible in the background.
He insisted: “The idea that I was trying to pretend it was my home is utterly ridiculous.”
Sir Keir and his family stayed in the flat from May 29 to 13 July 13 this year. The exams finished in mid-June, almost a month before the family moved out.
He was therefore was living there when he submitted his nomination to stand as an MP, during which time he had declared his residence as his Holborn and St Pancras constituency.
Reform UK party deputy leader Richard Tice speaks at the party’s annual conference (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Richard Tice MP, deputy leader of Reform UK, said: “Sir Keir has serious questions to answer about where he was living during the election campaign. This may raise issues of electoral law.
“If he held constituency campaign meetings there, it should have been declared on his local return.
“He campaigned on transparency and ending cronyism, and he keeps saying rules matter, but unless he provides answers, people will assume he didn’t follow the rules.”
A Labour spokesperson said: “These allegations are complete nonsense – and anyone with even the most basic understanding of electoral law would know that.”
Express.co.uk has approached Mr Streeting, Ms Leadbeater and the Labour Party for further comment.
