Keir Starmer’s at it again helping himself to another freebie as £170k Sue Gray joins him
Sir Keir Starmer faces fresh questions over his free football tickets after he attended the North London derby last weekend between Arsenal and Tottenham.
It has emerged that the Prime Minister brought along his foreign secretary David Lammy and his chief of staff Sue Gray as they all enjoyed lavish hospitality tickets at Tottenham Hotspur’s White Hart Lane stadium.
The tickets, paid for by Tottenham, have raised eyebrows after they placed Sir Keir and his allies next to a controversial and powerful football lobbyist who fought for the much-hated breakaway Super League.
Katie Perrior sat next to Sue Gray, who has been at the centre of her own crisis in Downing Street over her alleged acrimonious relationships with senior colleagues.
Ms Perrior is the founder and chair of iNHouse Communications, which worked on the attempt to launch the European Super League. The lobbyist’s firm also helps advise Google, who have been criticised for their legal tax avoidance.
Lammy took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share a photograph of himself and Sir Keir (Image: X/DAVID LAMMY)
Keir Starmer has accepted almost £40,000 worth of free tickets for football matches (Image: Getty)
Spurs were one of the six English clubs that launched an audacious bid to leave the Premier League for the new elite league in April 2021 – before fan backlash forced each club to back down.
While Ms Perrior sat next to the powerful government officials, there is no suggestion that she used the match as an opportunity to lobby ministers.
However, the timing of the photographs of the British PM and his allies hobnobbing with lobbyists makes it even more shameful for the government.
It took place just hours after allegations emerged surrounding Sir Keir and his wife, Victoria, taking donations for clothes from a Labour mega-donor, Lord Alli.
Sir Keir is hoping to have drawn a line under the scandal on the eve of the Labour Party conference
At the time, David Lammy boasted about the tickets, taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share a photograph of himself and Sir Keir. He posted: “The boss’ team won this time against the run of play, but it’s still early in the season.”
Underneath the X post, dozens of users can be seen asking: “Who paid for the tickets?”
Sir Keir has endured a nightmare past week as he has tried to defend himself for accepting more than £100,000 of freebies and gifts over the last parliament.
This includes almost £40,000 worth of free tickets for football matches, which potentially risks a conflict of interest as the government prepares to bring in a new regulator opposed by the industry.
Senior Tory MP John Glen told the Daily Mail: “Is there no freebie that Sir Keir will not take? His behaviour is as hypocritical as it is incredible. And in view of Labour’s plans for a new football regulator, his presence and that of Sue Gray is a clear conflict of interest.”
Tory MP Ben Obese-Jecty added: “Keir Starmer pledged to crack down on lobbying yet he seems comfortable to be lobbied if it affords him privileged access to watch Premier League football.
“For the governance of our national game to be agreed by the PM via informal meetings in VIP boxes over prawn sandwiches, with Sue Gray again shaping policy and without Civil Service oversight, should be a huge concern to football fans across the country.”
Sir Keir and his team are hoping to have drawn a line under the scandal on the eve of the Labour Party conference after announcing yesterday that they will no longer take donations for clothes.
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Rachel Reeves unleashing war on pensioners as next blow ‘in the pipeline’ revealed
Rachel Reeves’ next tax blow has been tipped to include stripping pensioners of a valuable perk.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves may target pension tax reliefs in the Budget (Image: PA Images)
The Chancellor is believed to be mulling a shake-up of pension tax reliefs in the Budget to help the Government plug a disputed £22billion black hole in the country’s finances this year.
When someone turns 55, they can normally take 25 percent of their pension without having to pay tax up to a £268,275 limit, with the remainder usually liable to be taxed in the same way as other income.
But the Labour Government is being urged to cut the cap on tax-free cash for those with the largest pension pots.
Steven Cameron, Public Affairs Director at wealth manager Aegon, said there is a possibility the Budget could either cap the tax-free lump sum at a much lower amount or reduce the proportion available to 20 percent or so. He explained both moves would increase the tax take.
Rachel Reeves says there’s a £22bn black hole in this year’s public finances she needs to plug (Image: Getty)
Mr Cameron told The Times that to generate extra income tax, those changes would have to apply to pension pots already built up over years or decades.
He continued: “This would be highly controversial, reducing one of the most valued tax incentives that pension savers look forward to.”
The pensions expert said for anyone planning to take their tax-free lump sum soon, it may be worth thinking about taking it before the Budget, which Ms Reeves will deliver on October 30.
However, Mr Cameron cautioned not to take money out of your pension before you need to as other tax benefits would be lost.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank has recommended the Chancellor should reduce the lump sum to £100,000, arguing it was hard to justify subsidies for wealthier savers.
Rachel Reeves has already stripped millions of pensioners of winter fuel support (Image: Getty)
By doing so, Ms Reeves could raise some £2billion per year, according to the IFS, which said such a move would impact about one in five retirees.
The think tank cautioned against setting a flat rate of tax relief for pension contributions, City AM reports.
Such a move would be “damaging, complex and inequitable”, according to remarks attributed to the IFS by the same publication.
Ms Reeves has repeatedly warned that there are “more difficult decisions to come” as the government looks to make savings. Millions of pensioners will already suffer from the Government’s decision to means test the winter fuel allowance.
The Treasury has warned more decisions on taxing and spending will be taken “in the round” at the Budget.
