Sir Keir Starmer has insisted it would “cost the taxpayer a fortune” if he were to watch Arsenal from the stands after it emerged he had accepted thousands of pounds worth of free football tickets.
The prime minister has faced criticism after Sky News’ Westminster Accounts project revealed he had received two-and-a-half times more gifts and hospitality than any other MP, totalling £107,145, since December 2019.
Sir Keir declared £12,588 of gifts from the Premier League; including four Taylor Swift tickets during the election campaign worth £4,000; two Euros finals tickets worth £1,628; and numerous tickets spanning several Arsenal matches adding up to well over £6,000.
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.
Asked about his relationship with Arsenal Football Club, Sir Keir said he has attended matches as a season ticketholder for years.
But now he is prime minister, Sir Keir told ITV London the “security advice is that I can’t go to the stands”.
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The prime minister added that if he did, it would “cost the taxpayer a fortune” on “additional security”.
Image: Sir Keir Starmer is a regular at Arsenal home and away matches
He said: “I’ve been offered tickets elsewhere in the ground where it’s more secure.
“We don’t have to use taxpayer money on additional security. And that’s why I’ve taken the decision that I have.”
Asked if he is worried about the optics of taking so many hospitality tickets, which cost hundreds of pounds each, Sir Keir said he thinks “most people” would agree his argument for doing so is “fair”.
Former Labour MP Harriet Harman has urged Sir Keir to stop trying to “justify” accepting free gifts as it is “making things worse” on the latest episode of Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast.
The baroness said the row was “out of line” for the prime minister and he should change his approach rather than “doubling down”.
She told the podcast: “You can either double down on it and try and justify it or you can just say it was probably a misstep, if I had my time again I wouldn’t do it and therefore I’m going to auction for charity or something.
“It’s not a hanging offence, but I think doubling down and trying to justify it is making things worse.”
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.
Speaking to regional broadcasters on Thursday, Sir Keir also insisted he is “completely in control” following a row within government over his top adviser’s pay.
The prime minister was asked why chief of staff Sue Gray was getting paid more than him, and told BBC South East: “I’m not going to get into discussions about individual salaries about any members of my staff. I’m sure you wouldn’t expect me to.”
Pressed on whether he had a grip on his team following briefings on the matter, Sir Keir said: “I’m completely in control. I’m focused and every day the message from me to the team is exactly the same, which is we have to deliver.”
The cryptocurrency market may see a local bottom in the next two months amid global uncertainty over ongoing import tariff negotiations, which have been limiting investor sentiment in both traditional and digital markets.
US President Donald Trump is set to detail on April 2 his reciprocal import tariffs, measures aimed at reducing the country’s estimated trade deficit of $1.2 trillion in goods and boosting domestic manufacturing.
While global markets took a hit from the first tariff announcement, there is a 70% chance for cryptocurrency valuations to find their bottom by June, according to Aurelie Barthere, principal research analyst at the Nansen crypto intelligence platform.
The research analyst told Cointelegraph:
“Nansen data estimates a 70% probability that crypto prices will bottom between now and June, with BTC and ETH currently trading 15% and 22% below their year-to-date highs, respectively. Given this data, upcoming discussions will serve as crucial market indicators.”
“Once the toughest part of the negotiation is behind us, we see a cleaner opportunity for crypto and risk assets to finally mark a bottom,” she added.
“For the main US equity indexes and for BTC, the respective price charts failed to resurface above their 200-day moving averages significantly, while lower-lookback price moving averages are falling,” wrote Nansen in an April 1 research report.
“Fragile market psychology highlights the necessity of “good news,” mainly on US growth and on tariffs,” added the report.
Bitcoin needs to hold $82k amid crypto market “wait and see” mode: analyst
Investors are currently in “wait and see mode” and are hesitant to take on large positions as markets lack direction.
However, the Crypto Fear & Greed Index remained above the “extreme fear” mark for a third consecutive session, which suggests a marginal improvement despite continued caution, Stella Zlatareva, dispatch editor at digital asset investment platform Nexo, told Cointelegraph.
“This reinforces the view that markets are in a wait-and-see mode,” Zlatareva told Cointelegraph, adding:
“Bitcoin continues to consolidate within the $82,000 – $85,000 range after experiencing a period of directional recalibration in Q1. The asset is navigating this zone with key support at $82,000 and upside potential toward $86,500 and $90,000 if broader sentiment stabilizes.”
Other traders are awaiting a Bitcoin breakout above $84,500 as a signal for more upside momentum amid the ongoing tariff uncertainty.
Investment company VanEck filed to register a Delaware trust company for an exchange-traded fund (ETF) tracking Binance-linked BNB cryptocurrency.
VanEck, on March 31, registered a new entity under the name VanEck BNB ETF in Delaware, according to public records on the official Delaware state website.
In filing 10148820, the entity is registered as a trust corporate service company in Delaware, hinting at a potential spot BNB (BNB) ETF in the United States.
VanEck BNB ETF trust registration in Delaware. Source: Delaware.gov
According to social media reports, VanEck is the first company to propose a potential BNB ETF in the US, potentially signaling an expansion of BNB Chain — formerly known as Binance Chain — across traditional financial products in the market.
BNB ETP product already exists in Europe
While VanEck is the first to move toward a potential BNB ETF product in the US, similar products have been trading in Europe for several years.
Prominent European crypto asset manager 21Shares launched a BNB exchange-traded product (ETP) in Switzerland in October 2019, according to TradingView.
21Shares BNB ETP details. Source: TradingView
TradingView data suggests that 21Shares BNB ETP has only $15 million in assets under management (AUM), a 0.3% share of Switzerland’s total crypto AUM of $5.3 billion as of March 28, as reported by CoinShares.
The product reportedly saw a significant drop in fund flows in the past year, totaling 537 million euros, or $580 million.
What is BNB?
Formerly known as Binance Coin, BNB is the native digital asset of the BNB Chain, which is now described as a “community-driven and decentralized blockchain ecosystem for Web3 decentralized applications.”
BNB was launched by Binance in July 2017 as an ERC-20 token on the Ethereum blockchain as a tool to incentivize users to trade on their platform and pay for fees at a discounted rate.
Five top crypto assets by market capitalization. Source: CoinGecko
At the time of writing, BNB is the fifth-largest cryptocurrency asset by market capitalization, worth about $88 billion, according to CoinGecko.
Altcoin filings surge with Trump administration
VanEck’s BNB ETF trust filing is just one of many new US altcoin ETF filings and registrations that have followed Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration in January.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission and crypto exchange Gemini have asked to pause the regulator’s suit over the exchange’s Gemini Earn program, saying they want to discuss a potential resolution.
In an April 1 letter to New York federal court judge Edgardo Ramos, lawyers representing the SEC and Genesis requested a 60-day hold on the case and that all deadlines be pulled “to allow the parties to explore a potential resolution.”
“In this case, the parties submit that it is in each of their interests to stay this matter while they consider a potential resolution and agree that no party or non-party would be prejudiced by a stay,” the letter states.
The lawyers added that a stay was in the court’s interest as “a resolution would conserve judicial resources” and proposed that a joint status report be submitted within 60 days after the entry of the stay.
The SEC sued Gemini and crypto lending firm Genesis Global Capital in January 2023, alleging they offered unregistered securities through the Gemini Earn program.
In March 2024, Genesis agreed to pay $21 million to settle charges related to the lending program, but the enforcement case against Gemini remains outstanding.
Letter from SEC and Genesis Global requesting extension of stay. Source: CourtListener
The letter did not specify what a possible resolution would entail, but the SEC has dropped several lawsuits it launched against crypto companies under the Biden administration, including against Coinbase, Ripple and Kraken.
In February, Gemini said the SEC closed a separate investigation into the firm as the regulator winds back its crypto enforcement under President Donald Trump.
“The SEC cost us tens of millions of dollars in legal bills alone and hundreds of millions in lost productivity, creativity, and innovation. Of course, Gemini is not alone,” Gemini co-founder Cameron Winklevoss said at the time.
OpenSea, Crypto.com and Uniswap, among others, have also recently reported that the SEC had closed similar probes into their companies that were investigating alleged breaches of securities laws.