Angela Rayner was lent the use of Lord Alli’s New York apartment over the new year according to her declared register of interests.
Labour peer Lord Alli lent Angela Rayner New York apartment. (Image: Getty)
Lord Alli, who paid for luxury clothes for Keir Starmer and his wife, allowed Rayner to stay in his luxury New York apartment for 5 nights from 29 December last year.
The gift, estimated to be worth £1,250, was declared by Rayner in January and listed as a “personal holiday.”
It remains unclear how the figure of £1,250, or £250 per night, was arrived at with Airbnb listings for the same period being in excess of £2,000.
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing, with the gift entirely within the rules, but it does have the potential to cause embarrassment for the Deputy PM who has been critical of Conservative MPs receiving gifts in the past.
Rayner enjoyed spectacular views of the New York skyline courtesy of Lord Alli. (Image: Getty)
In 2021, Rayner lambasted Boris Johnson over refurbishment work in Downing Street saying: “People who give you thousands of pounds to do up your flat generally tend to expect something in return.”
According to the Telegraph, Lord Alli’s flat has stunning views of Manhattan and the Empire State Building and includes a roof deck, courtyard and three-storey fitness suite featuring a gym, jacuzzi and pool.
Lord Alli has been an important financial backer throughout Keir Starmer’s time as Labour leader.
Lord Alli (middle) has donated heavily to the Prime Minister and his deputy. (Image: Getty)
He has allowed the PM use of an £18 million London penthouse for meetings as well as gifting him clothes and designer glasses.
At the weekend, The Sunday Times revealed that he had also bought Victoria Starmer designer clothes and covered the cost of a personal shopper, something Mr Starmer failed to declare.
He has also donated significantly to Rayner’s parliamentary undertakings, giving £21,200 in cash donations.
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Under-fire Keir Starmer denies being ‘king of the freebies’ as he makes ‘taxpayer’ excuse
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer in the stands during the Premier League match at Molineux Stadium, (Image: PA)
Sir Keir Starmer has denied being “king of the freebies” amid a deepening political crisis over gifts.
The Prime Minister claimed voters are more interested in “delivery, delivery, delivery” than the row over donations.
He has received more than £100,000, including almost £40,000 in football tickets, since December 2019, more than twice the amount of Labour’s Lucy Powell in second place on a list of MPs.
Sir Keir insisted it would “cost the taxpayer a fortune” if he were to watch Arsenal from the stands.
Sue Gray is prompting fury from many Labour advisers (Image: PA)
Asked about the optics of being seen as the “king of the freebies”, Sir Keir said: “I’ve had season tickets at Arsenal for a long time now, up in the stands where I’ve gone with my boy and my friends for year after year after year.
“Now I’m Prime Minister. The security advice is that I can’t go to the stands.
“Now I’ve had the chance to explain to you the situation, I think most people would say that that’s a pretty fair argument.”
The Labour leader insisted it would not be fair to taxpayers for him to sit in the stands due to security concerns and costs.
But Sir Keir’s defence comes as a new poll revealed only 8% of people said they thought donations of hospitality to politicians are acceptable.
Sir Keir has accepted around £39,000 from Lord Alli since December 2019, as well as nearly £40,000 in tickets from the Premier League.
The donations from Lord Alli included an unspecified donation of accommodation worth £20,437, “work clothing” worth £16,200, and multiple pairs of glasses equivalent to £2,485.
But the Prime Minister was defiant about the criticism he is receiving.
He told BBC West: “I just sort of step back and ask myself ‘what did people vote for this year in the election?’
“And they voted for change. It was a big mandate for change. And I am absolutely focused and determined to deliver that change.
“That’s why we’re taking some of the tough decisions early because I want to fix the foundations, stabilise the economy.
“And then on that we can deliver the change that I think people really want to see from the government.”
During a regional broadcast round, Sir Keir also faced ridicule for being engulfed in this row after claiming he wants to clean up politics.
An ITV journalist pointed that the Labour leader criticised Rishi Sunak for being out of touch, before adding: “Things haven’t changed, have they, Prime Minister?”
He responded: “The purpose of it is to deliver the change that people… when I visit Yorkshire, people talk to me about high prices, they talk to me about the energy, families and businesses. I’m focused on what they need to be changed and that’s why every day in, day out, I’m working on the change that we need to stabilize our economy, rebuild our public services, make sure our NHS is working properly again.”
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has said attending events is “part of the job” of being a minister.
Asked on Times Radio if being given free tickets to events was a “perk” of the job, the Business Secretary said: “It’s not a perk of the job, it’s part of the job.
“People want to engage with decision makers. They want to ask you to be aware of what they are doing. Again, I think we have the right rules on transparency in relation to that. But this is about the job that we do and the need to be engaged with the sectors that we cover.”
Sir Keir also insisted he is “in control” of his Government amid fury from party advisers over his chief of staff Sue Gray’s pay of £170,000.
“I’m completely in control. I’m focused and every day the message from me to the team is exactly the same, which is we have to deliver.
“We were elected on a big mandate to deliver change, I am determined that we are going to do that.”
