Sir Keir Starmer has been brutally mocked by the Conservative Party for “struggling” on “just” £170,000 in a “pokey” flat with “free heating”.

In a social media post from the Tories the Prime Minister was ridiculed for accepting thousands of pounds worth of gifts, including for glasses for the PM, as Sir Keir and members of his Cabinet sought to move on from the donations row.

The Tories have mocked Sir Keir Starmer (Image: Getty)

The Conservative Party wrote on X: “Keir Starmer is a struggling father of 2 on just £170,000 a year living in a pokey 3,000 sq ft apartment on the only street in England with free heating.

“He needs your help to put clothes on his wife’s back before the next fashion show. gofundkeir.com”.

The attack referred to the Labour leader’s wife attending a London Fashion Week show in a freebie dress hours after the clothing donations row erupted.

That X post came two days after the Conservatives asked other users of the platform why pensioners on £13,000 can’t get help with their heating if Sir Keir needs help buying his wardrobe – despite his whopping salary.

Donations to senior Labour politicians, including Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, from Lord Waheed Alli have derailed the party’s conference in Liverpool where Sir Keir and his colleagues were expecting to celebrate their sweeping General Election victory.

Instead, Ms Rayner was forced to acknowledge the “frustration” and “anger” felt by the public earlier today although she argued such donations have been a feature of British politics “for a very long time”.

This despite Sir Keir’s second in command having blasted former prime minister Boris Johnson numerous times for accepting money to redecorate the PM’s Downing Street flat.

Ms Rayner has herself has been criticised for staying in a flat owned by Labour donor Lord Alli while on holiday in New York. She has denied breaking any Commons rules about declaring the gift. Both she and Ms Reeves also received donations of clothing, which were declared as office support on an official register.

Some former Conservative MPs have sought to attack Labour over the donations while members of the Shadow Cabinet don’t appear to have commented publicly.

Robert Jenrick has focused his attacks on Sue Gray’s salary and the winter fuel allowance (Image: Getty)

Tory leadership candidate James Cleverly reposted a tweet from Leicester East MP Shivani Raja, who commented on X: “Designer clothes do not make you a leader. Real leadership is about delivering results for hardworking British families, no appearances”.

Fellow leadership contender Robert Jenrick doesn’t appear to have commented either although he highlighted a tweet from Sir Keir posted in March 2021 where the then Leader of the Opposition compared a £40,000 pay rise for former Downing Street chief adviser Dominic Cummings to a £3.50 per week pay rise for nurses.

Mr Jenrick re-shared Sir Keir’s tweet, commenting: “£20,000 a year pay rise for Sue Gray. £600 cuts for some pensioners on as little as £13,000 a year. Starmer’s hypocrisy reeks.”

Leaks about the £170,000 salary of Sir Keir’s chief of staff Sue Gray while other Downing Street special advisers have seen their pay held down have fuelled reports of a fractious atmosphere inside Number 10 less than three months after Labour came to power.

That row erupted in the wake of Labour MPs voting to cut Winter Fuel Payments for millions of pensioners across the country who now face losing hundreds of pounds and a choice for some between eating and heating.

Tory frontbencher Paul Holmes said: “As Labour’s Party Conference begins after fewer than 12 weeks in power, Keir Starmer’s Government has been engulfed in scandal and infighting, showing that the only change they offer is a change of clothes.”

Former Tory MP Esther McVey was scathing in her criticism of the Labour Government, posting on X earlier this week in response to Sir Keir and his wife Lady Victoria Starmer’s acceptance of donations: “Usually governments become arrogant over time but not this one.

“From Passes4Glasses & non registration of his wife’s clothing to the removal of Winter Fuel Payments from pensioners without being upfront at the election, this Labour government has been arrogant from day one”.

In another X post, Ms McVey quipped: “When Labour’s election slogan was change, how many realised it referred to changing rooms, and getting changed from one outfit to another?”

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson acknowledged on Sunday the rows were “frustrating” and “a distraction” for a party that wants to talk about its agenda in Government.

But she was forced onto the back foot for using money from Lord Alli to fund a reception to mark her 40th birthday, saying it was “in a work context” with guests including journalists and trade unionists and “education people”.

Ms Phillipson appeared to smirk as she also defended taking free tickets for a Taylor Swift concert, claiming one of her children was “keen to go along” to watch the pop star perform.

Asked by ITV at the Labour conference about the two tickets to see Swift at Wembley on August 15, Ms Phillipson said: “I’ll be honest it was a hard one to turn down. I appreciate there was big demand for tickets. It was a privilege to be there.”