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.
Politics Live: Starmer branded ‘ivory tower leader’ for taking gifts
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”.
The prime minister added that if he did, it would “cost the taxpayer a fortune” on “additional security”.
Read more:
Westminster Accounts: How to explore the database for yourself
Westminster Accounts: Search for your MP
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.”
Crypto-friendly billionaire investor Bill Ackman is considering the possibility that US President Donald Trump may pause the implementation of his controversial proposed tariffs on April 7.
“One would have to imagine that President Donald Trump’s phone has been ringing off the hook. The practical reality is that there is insufficient time for him to make deals before the tariffs are scheduled to take effect,” Ackman, founder of Pershing Square Capital Management, said in an April 5 X post.
Trump may postpone tariffs to make more deals, says Ackman
“I would, therefore, not be surprised to wake up Monday with an announcement from the President that he was postponing the implementation of the tariffs to give him time to make deals,” Ackman added.
On April 2, Trump signed an executive order establishing a 10% baseline tariff on all imports from all countries, which took effect on April 5. Harsher reciprocal tariffs on trading partners with which the US has the largest trade deficits are scheduled to kick in on April 9.
Ackman — who famously said “crypto is here to stay” after the FTX collapse in November 2022 — said Trump captured the attention of the world and US trading partners, backing the tariffs as necessary after what he called an “unfair tariff regime” that hurt US workers and economy “over many decades.”
Following Trump’s announcement on April 2, the US stock market shed more value during the April 4 trading session than the entire crypto market is currently worth. The fact that crypto held up better than the US stock market caught the attention of both crypto industry supporters and skeptics.
Source: Cameron Winklevoss
Prominent crypto voices such as BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes and Gemini co-founder Cameron Winklevoss also recently showed their support for Trump’s tariffs.
Related: Trump tariffs squeeze already struggling Bitcoin miners — Braiins exec
Ackman said a pause would be a logical move by Trump — not just to allow time for closing potential deals but also to give companies of all sizes “time to prepare for changes.” He added:
“The risk of not doing so is that the massive increase in uncertainty drives the economy into a recession, potentially a severe one.”
Ackman said April 7 will be “one of the more interesting days” in US economic history.
Magazine: New ‘MemeStrategy’ Bitcoin firm by 9GAG, jailed CEO’s $3.5M bonus: Asia Express
Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, marks their 50th birthday amid a year of rising institutional and geopolitical adoption of the world’s first cryptocurrency.
The identity of Nakamoto remains one of the biggest mysteries in crypto, with speculation ranging from cryptographers like Adam Back and Nick Szabo to broader theories involving government intelligence agencies.
While Nakamoto’s identity remains anonymous, the Bitcoin (BTC) creator is believed to have turned 50 on April 5 based on details shared in the past.
According to archived data from his P2P Foundation profile, Nakamoto once claimed to be a 37-year-old man living in Japan and listed his birthdate as April 5, 1975.
Source: Web.archive.org
Nakamoto’s anonymity has played a vital role in maintaining the decentralized nature of the Bitcoin network, which has no central authority or leadership.
The Bitcoin wallet associated with Nakamoto, which holds over 1 million BTC, has laid dormant for more than 16 years despite BTC rising from $0 to an all-time high above $109,000 in January.
Satoshi Nakamoto statue in Lugano, Switzerland. Source: Cointelegraph
Nakamoto’s 50th birthday comes nearly a month after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a Digital Asset Stockpile, marking the first major step toward integrating Bitcoin into the US financial system.
Related: Bitcoin at 16: From experiment to trillion-dollar asset
Nakamoto’s legacy: a “cornerstone of economic sovereignty”
“At 50, Nakamoto’s legacy is no longer just code; it’s a cornerstone of economic sovereignty,” according to Anndy Lian, author and intergovernmental blockchain expert.
“Bitcoin’s reserve status signals trust in its scarcity and resilience,” Lian told Cointelegraph, adding:
“What’s fascinating is the timing. Fifty feels symbolic — half a century of life, mirrored by Bitcoin’s journey from a white paper to a trillion-dollar asset. Nakamoto’s vision of trustless, peer-to-peer money has outgrown its cypherpunk roots, entering the halls of power.”
However, lingering questions about Nakamoto remain unanswered, including whether they still hold the keys to their wallet, which is “a fortune now tied to US policy,” Lian said.
Related: Bitcoin’s next catalyst: End of $36T US debt ceiling suspension
Is Satoshi Nakamoto wealthier than Bill Gates?
In February, Arkham Intelligence published findings that attribute 1.096 million BTC — then valued at more than $108 billion — to Nakamoto. That would place him above Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on the global wealth rankings, according to data shared by Coinbase director Conor Grogan.
Satoshi’s new addresses. Source: Conor Grogan
If accurate, this would make Nakamoto the world’s 16th richest person.
Despite the growing interest in Nakamoto’s identity and holdings, his early decision to remain anonymous and inactive has helped preserve Bitcoin’s decentralized ethos — a principle that continues to define the cryptocurrency to this day.
Magazine: 10 crypto theories that missed as badly as ‘Peter Todd is Satoshi’
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