Sir Keir Starmer has defended accepting gifts from a millionaire Labour donor who was later given a pass to access No 10 Downing Street.

Sir Keir Starmer with his wife Victoria (Image: Getty)

The Prime Minister suggested he would continue to take gifts from Lord Alli despite a row over some of his donations not being declared in line with parliamentary rules.

Asked on Monday whether he would continue to accept gifts from Lord Alli, Sir Keir said that “all Members of Parliament get gifts” and “the important thing is that they’re declared in accordance with the rules”.

The Labour peer has given Sir Keir tens of thousands of pounds to spend on suits and spectacles, and over the weekend it emerged that Lady Starmer, the Prime Minister’s wife, had also been given £5,000 worth of clothes and personal shopping.

MPs are supposed to declare gifts and donations to the parliamentary authorities within 28 days of receiving them. They have to declare “any interest which someone might reasonably consider to influence their actions or words as an MP”, and the declarations are then published on the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.

However, the Prime Minister declared the gifts to his wife, thought to have been received both before and after he entered Downing Street, only last week after initially believing that they did not need to be added to the register.

The Conservatives have written to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner to call for an investigation into the failure to declare donations.

On Monday, Sir Keir dodged several questions on whether he would continue taking handouts from Lord Alli, pledging only to “comply with the rules”.

He said it would be “pushing it a bit far” to deny him the right to accept Arsenal tickets, as he could not sit in his usual seat for security reasons.

Sir Keir accepted more than 20 free tickets to football matches in the last Parliament, according to figures released in July, using complimentary seats to watch Arsenal play Manchester United, Manchester City and Porto.

Sir Keir said on Monday: “All Members of Parliament get gifts. The rules then say that over a certain value you’ve got to declare the gifts, so everybody can see what it was, how much it was, who it came from, and so that you and others can ask questions about it. That’s a good framework. It’s the right framework.”

Asked whether he thought he had done nothing wrong, and whether he would continue taking those sorts of donations, he said: “The problem is, let’s take football as an example. I’m a massive Arsenal fan. I can’t go into the stands because of security reasons. Therefore if I don’t accept a gift of hospitality I can’t go to a game.

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Keir Starmer ‘breaches rules’ by failing to declare gifts as Tories demand probe

Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria (Image: Getty)

Sir Keir Starmer is alleged to have broken parliamentary rules by failing to declare donations of clothing for his wife Victoria Starmer.

The gifts, from prominent Labour donor Lord Alli, were not initially declared in the register of MPs’ interests.

The Sunday Times reported that the Prime Minister approached the parliamentary authorities on Tuesday to make a late declaration after being given updated advice on what needed to be registered.

The Tories demanded a full investigation into the Starmers’ links with prominent Labour donor Lord Alli.

The donations reportedly covered the cost of a personal shopper, clothes and alterations for Lady Starmer both before and after Labour’s election win in July.

MPs are required to register gifts and donations within 28 days.

A No 10 spokeswoman said: “We sought advice from the authorities on coming to office.

“We believed we had been compliant, however, following further interrogation this month, we have declared further items.”

The guide to the Commons rules states MPs should register “any benefit given to any third party, whether or not this accompanied a benefit for him or her, if the Member is aware, or could reasonably be expected to be aware, of the benefit and that it was given because of his or her membership of the House or parliamentary or political activities”.

Lord Alli’s involvement with the Labour leader has already proved controversial after it emerged he had been given a Downing Street security pass without apparently having a government role.

The row was dubbed the “passes for glasses” affair because Lord Alli has previously donated tens of thousands of pounds worth of clothing, accommodation and “multiple pairs” of spectacles to the Labour leader.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: “It’s taken just 10 weeks for Keir Starmer to face an investigation for his conduct.

“After facing allegations of cronyism and now apparent serious breaches of parliamentary rules there must be a full investigation into the passes for glasses scandal.

“No doubt the millions of vulnerable pensioners across the country who face choosing between heating and eating would jump at the chance for free clothes just to keep warm in the face of Labour’s cruel cut.”