Sir Keir Starmer’s wife getting clothes from donor ‘not a transparency issue’, Lammy insists
The foreign secretary insists the prime minister is “seeking to comply with the rules” and an investigation into a Labour donor buying clothes for his wife is “not a transparency issue”.
Sir Keir Starmer is facing an investigation over a possible breach of parliamentary rules after failing to declare that some of his wife’s high-end clothes were bought for her by his biggest personal donor, Lord Alli.
The Labour peer paid for a personal shopper, clothes and alterations for Lady Victoria Starmer, reportedly both before and after the Labour leader became prime minister in July, according to The Sunday Times.
Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria Starmer arrive at No 10 Downing Street after Labour’s election victory. Pic: PA
David Lammy defended Sir Keir when he appeared on Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips.
Asked whether it was a bad look for the prime minister after promising to clean up politics, Mr Lammy said: “This is not a transparency issue. It’s actually the prime minister seeking to comply with the rules.”
Questioned further on whether Sir Keir and his wife needed to have clothes donated to them when the prime minister’s annual salary is around £160,000, Mr Lammy noted there is “no budget” for clothing for our prime minister, while in other countries, such as the US, there is a “substantial budget” so that when appearing on the world stage, they represent their countries well.
He added: “So it is the case that successive leaders of the opposition wanting to represent the country on an international stage, and prime ministers have used donors to fund that budget.”
The foreign secretary also defended the Labour donor, Lord Alli, who had funded the gifts for Sir Keir and Lady Starmer.
Mr Lammy described him as a self-made millionaire who has been a supporter and a donor to the Labour Party over successive leaders and prime ministers.
Lord Alli in 2014. Pic: Rex
This year, Sir Keir has received – and disclosed – nearly £19,000 worth of work clothes and several pairs of glasses from Lord Alli, the former chairman of online fashion retailer Asos, The Times reported.
In addition, the peer, whose personal wealth is estimated at £200m, spent £20,000 on accommodation for the now prime minister during the election and a similar sum on “private office” costs, which was also disclosed, the paper said.
A Number 10 spokesperson told Sky News it was an oversight that had been corrected after it “sought advice from the authorities on coming to office”.
They added: “We believed we’d been compliant, however, following further interrogation this month, we’ve declared further items.”
After facing interviews on Sunday morning – in which he said Vladimir Putin could not successfully bully the West over its support for Ukraine – Mr Lammy and Sir Keir watched the north London derby football match between Tottenham and Arsenal together.
The foreign secretary posted on X saying: “The boss’ team won this time against the run of play, but it’s still early in the season.”
The Tories called for a “full investigation” after The Sunday Times report.
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.”
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Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria campaigning in London. Pic: PA
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.
Sir Keir, like all MPs, must declare any of his relevant interests under rules set up to protect politics from improper influence and uphold transparency.
Politics
Sir Keir Starmer declares gifts and freebies totalling more than £100,000 – the highest of any MP
Sir Keir Starmer has received substantially more freebies than any other MP since becoming Labour leader, Sky News can reveal.
Government officials are worried the prime minister’s willingness to accept hospitality to go to football matches could amount to a conflict of interest given plans to overhaul the sport’s regulator which many clubs oppose.
The prime minister received two-and-a-half times more gifts and hospitality than the next MP, according to a league table compiled as part of Sky News’ Westminster Accounts project – which traces how money flows through our political system.
Minister dismisses concerns over free Swift tickets – live updates
Since December 2019, he received £107,145 in gifts, benefits, and hospitality – a specific category in parliament’s register of MPs’ interests.
The next highest in the league table is the Commons leader Lucy Powell on £40,289, while the prime minister received gifts roughly equivalent to the next five MPs combined.
The table does not account for those who received help with legal fees.
‘It’s nuts’
One member of the government called the situation “nuts” and said the freebies “should be banned”.
Sky News has also learnt that officials are warning the prime minister could be opening himself up to inappropriate lobbying by saying he will continue to accept football tickets.
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Westminster Accounts: How to explore the database for yourself
Westminster Accounts: Search for your MP
Ministers are usually told to avoid hospitality from any organisation connected to an ongoing government regulatory decision, and the future of a football regulator is under consideration at the moment.
The Premier League is one of the biggest donors of hospitality, and Sir Keir – a renowned Arsenal fan – has received almost £40,000 in tickets overall since December 2019.
Sir Keir declared £12,588 of gifts from the Premier League, which is lobbying against a football regulator; including four Taylor Swift tickets during the election campaign worth £4,000; two Euros finals tickets costing £1,628; and numerous tickets spanning several Arsenal matches costing well over £6,000 in total.
How to explore the Westminster Accounts
Sir Keir and his wife Victoria have benefitted from luxury clothing and Taylor Swift tickets
PM defiant in face of criticism
Sky News can reveal the prime minister ignored warnings from some in his senior team while in opposition. They feared the issue could cause him political damage, but he justified it by saying it was within the rules.
Senior Labour figures are incandescent that the story about freebies for the Starmer family has dragged on for days, and ministers going out with different and often contradictory explanations.
They blame a lack of political grip on the operation, intensifying pressure on Sir Keir’s chief of staff Sue Gray, and sparking private calls for her to be side-lined or sacked.
Sir Keir defended his right to continue to take football freebies earlier this week, saying: “If I don’t accept a gift of hospitality, I can’t go to a game.”
“Never going to an Arsenal game again because I can’t accept hospitality is pushing it a bit far,” he added.
Sky News asked Number 10 whether football donations were a conflict of interest and about the pre-election discussions about the appropriateness of accepting hospitality.
We also asked for comment on the fact Sir Keir is top of the table for gifts and hospitality, excluding legal donations.
They did not comment.
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Most of Sir Keir’s gifts and hospitality – £86,708 of the £107,145 – were accepted in the last parliament, but £20,437 was declared in this parliament for accommodation that straddles the two periods.
The biggest donor of gifts and hospitality is Labour peer Waheed Alli, who gave the equivalent of £39,122.
These donations included an unspecified donation of accommodation worth £20,437, “work clothing” worth £16,200, and multiple pairs of glasses equivalent to £2,485.
Starmer’s chief of staff under fire
This comes on a bleak day for Sir Keir after the BBC revealed his chief of staff Sue Gray is paid more than £170,000, which is higher than the prime minister.
Ms Gray was the last government’s ethics chief and even the prime minister’s allies are incandescent she has not put a stop to this practice.
This is embarrassing for Sir Keir after he previously criticised the scale of Dominic Cummings’s salary, who was Boris Johnson’s chief of staff.
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The government does not deny the salary level but insists she did not set the level of her salary herself – which is higher than her predecessor.
However, this has been challenged for figures familiar with the process. They said successive chiefs of staff who preceded Ms Gray had to agree recommendations on adviser pay and advise on the decisions made by ministers.
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