Keir pays back his freebies: PM stumps up £6,000 to cover cost of Taylor Swift tickets and high-end clothing for wife Victoria – as top donor Lord Alli is probed by House of Lords watchdog over ‘non-registration of interests’
Sir Keir Starmer has paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts – including Taylor Swift tickets and a clothing deal for his wife – in a bid to move on from his donations row.
The PM is covering the £3,398 cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four tickets to the races and a rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by Lady Victoria Starmer.
It comes after he was dubbed ‘free gear Keir’ over his frequent acceptance of lavish gifts and hospitality, which he has continued since entering Downing Street in July.
Following a backlash, the PM has committed to overhauling rules for ministers to ensure better transparency about what is provided.
His announcement that he is paying back some of his gifts coincided with the publication of an update to the MPs’ register of interests.
It also came shortly after it was disclosed that one of his top donors, Lord Waheed Alli, is being probed by a House of Lords watchdog over ‘alleged non-registration of interests’.
The House of Lords Commissioners for Standards said the millionaire businessman was being investigated over possible breaches of peers’ code of conduct.
But it is understood the probe does not relate to donations and instead is a ‘clerical element’ of already declared interests.
Sir Keir Starmer has paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts – including Taylor Swift tickets and a clothing deal for his wife – in a bid to move on from a donations row
The PM and his wife Victoria attended a Taylor Swift gig at Wembley Stadium in June
Lady Starmer donned a £1,100 dress by Edeline Lee at Labour’s conference in Liverpool last month. The brand said it had ‘loaned’ the garment and matching shoes to the PM’s wife
The PM’s wife also wore an Edeline Lee outfit at the designer’s event during London Fashion Week last month
Sir Keir and his wife were pictured at Doncaster Racecourse on September 14
Sir Keir’s announcement that he is paying back some of his gifts coincided with the publication of an update to his register of interests
Gifts paid for by Sir Keir include four Taylor Swift tickets from Universal Music Group totalling £2,800 and two from the Football Association at a cost of £598 as well as four to Doncaster Races from Arena Racing Corporation at £1,939.
An £839 clothing rental agreement with Edeline Lee, the designer recently worn by his wife to London Fashion Week, along with one hour of hair and makeup, was also covered by the PM.
Sir Keir this afternoon said it was ‘right’ for him to repay the donations while new principles for accepting gifts were drawn up.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, the PM said: ‘We came in as a Government of change.
‘We are now going to bring forward principles for donations, because, until now, politicians have used their best individual judgment on a case-by-case basis.
‘I think we need some principles of general application. So, I took the position that until the principles are in place it was right for me to make those repayments.’
Pressed on whether the repayments were an ‘admission’ that he was wrong to accept the freebies, he said: ‘I can’t say more about it.’ Asked a third time, he said: ‘I can’t add anything more to what I’ve said.’
A Downing Street spokesperson said: ‘The PM has commissioned a new set of principles on gifts and hospitality to be published as part of the updated ministerial code.
‘Ahead of the publication of the new code, the PM has paid for several entries on his own register. This will appear in the next register of members’ interests.’
The update to Sir Keir’s register of interests revealed he accepted a further £6,134 from Lord Alli in ‘clothing and personal support’ for Lady Starmer in June.
He also took £920 from Tottenham Hotspur stadium for two tickets to the north London derby in September, and £1,000 from Arsenal FC for a game in August.
The PM has previously defended his decision to accept hospitality in order to attend football matches, citing security concerns which prevent him from watching from the stands without an expensive police presence.
The updated register of MPs’ interests also revealed:
- £2,300 worth of hospitality from Tottenham Hotspur FC accepted by Foreign Secretary David Lammy to watch the north London derby in September.
- £1,660 worth of tickets to a Taylor Swift concert at Wembley Stadium accepted from the Premier League by Liam Conlon, Labour MP and son of Sir Keir’s chief of staff, Sue Gray, in August.
- £134,376.51 in donations declared by Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick, £152,000 by fellow contender Tom Tugendhat, £89,000 by James Cleverly and £40,000 by Kemi Badenoch from various backers.
- £836 declared by Angela Rayner for a spot in a DJ booth at nightclub Hi Ibiza, where the Deputy PM was filmed partying over the summer.
Lord Waheed Alli, pictured at last month’s Labour conference in Liverpool, is being probed by a House of Lords watchdog
The House of Lords Commissioners for Standards said the millionaire businessman was being investigated over possible breaches of peers’ code of conduct
Sir Keir recently defended using a house owned by Lord Alli for a video urging people to work from home during the Covid pandemic
Lord Alli recently found himself at the centre of the ‘freebies’ row engulfing the PM, which has dogged Downing Street for weeks.
He is caught up in what has become known as ‘wardrobegate’ after splurging thousands of pounds on suits and glasses for Sir Keir ahead of the general election.
The Labour peer was also revealed to have bought high-end clothing for Sir Keir’s wife, Victoria, and provided free accommodation for the PM and his family.
His lavish gifts also extended to other senior Labour figures.
Lord Alli allowed Deputy PM Angela Rayner to stay in his plush New York apartment while on holiday, and he bankrolled a 40th birthday bash for Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.
Under parliamentary rules, peers must register all their relevant interests and make sure any change in their relevant interests is registered within one month of the change.
A new listing on the Commissioners’ website today stated: ‘Lord Alli – Alleged non-registration of interests leading to potential breaches of paragraphs 14(a) and 17 of the thirteenth edition of the Code of Conduct for Members of the House of Lords.’
The only other peer listed as being under investigation is Baroness Mone, who has been caught up in a PPE scandal.
It was reported last month by OpenDemocracy how Lord Alli only added his directorship in a British Virgin Islands-based firm to his register of interests after being asked why it was missing.
Lord Alli told the website the omission was an ‘unintentional error’, adding: ‘I hadn’t realised until you asked that it wasn’t listed on my register of interests’.
He now lists his directorship in MAC (BVI) Limited as a ‘non-financial interest’.
Lord Alli is a media tycoon who has been known in political circles for years and donated to Labour for more than two decades.
His donations to senior Labour figures includes £20,000 declared by Sir Keir for accommodation during the general election campaign.
The PM has said this was to allow his son to study for his GCSEs in peace at Lord Alli’s central London flat, while the Starmer’s family home was surrounded by media.
Sir Keir recently defended using a house owned by Lord Alli for a video urging people to work from home during the Covid pandemic.
The PM said the idea it was his home was ‘farcical’, despite there being photos of his family and Christmas cards behind him during the recording, made in December 2021 during the Omicron variant wave.
Instead of it being recorded at Sir Keir’s home in north London, it was filmed at Lord Alli’s flat in Covent Garden, central London.
Lord Alli is a media tycoon who has been known in political circles for years and donated to Labour for more than two decades
Lord Alli allowed Deputy PM Angela Rayner (left) to stay in his plush New York apartment, and he bankrolled a 40th birthday bash for Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson (right)
Sir Keir has said the peer was motivated to help himself and other Cabinet ministers financially because he wanted Labour to win the election.
There is no suggestion that the PM or members of his Cabinet broke any rules in accepting freebies.
But there has been close scrutiny of Lord Alli’s links to Sir Keir after it emerged the Labour peer was given a No10 pass shortly after the party’s election win, despite seemingly not having a Government role.
His pass has since been handed back but Sir Keir has continued to be dogged by the row also dubbed as ‘passes for glasses’.
Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield cited the freebies row as one of the reasons she resigned the Labour whip on Saturday in protest against the party’s leadership.
Speaking at his press conference in Brussels this afternoon, Sir Keir declined to comment on the probe into Lord Alli, saying it would ‘run its course’.
But Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick said: ‘Another day, another story about alleged sleaze engulfing Sir Keir and the top of the Labour Party. He promised a government of service but all we’ve had so far is naked self-service.
‘The Prime Minister is one of the best-paid individuals in the country.
‘If he can’t afford his clothes, how does he think pensioners on as little as £13,000 are able to cope without their winter fuel payments? He should clean up his act.’
A Labour spokesperson said: ‘Lord Alli will cooperate fully with the Lords’ Commissioner and he is confident all interests have been registered.
‘We cannot comment further while this is ongoing.’
A spokesman for the House of Lords said they did not comment on ongoing investigations.
