Sir Keir Starmer should give up his current arrangements for watching football and instead watch on television, a former Labour MP and minister has said.
Baroness Harriet Harman, a host of the Sky News Electoral Dysfunction podcast, has again criticised the prime minister and leader of her party for his actions in the ongoing freebies row.
Sir Keir has long held a season ticket to watch his chosen club, Arsenal, but since becoming prime minister, he has been sitting in the directors box.
The cost of these arrangements are not clear – with the prime minister saying you “can’t buy a ticket”.
Baroness Harman said: “I’m looking ahead into the future, and I’m thinking really it makes more sense for him to be watching the football on the telly with his son.
“And I think that saying I want to be there with my boy I think just… it’s a problem that I can see arising because of the government’s involvement with public policy in a situation where Arsenal are very much in the game of wanting or not wanting what the government’s going to do.”
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Sir Keir has pledged to introduce an independent football regulator – something clubs have vocally opposed.
Speaking to Sky News this week, the prime minister said he was invited into the box by the club and accepted the offer as it saves the taxpayer from paying for the extra security he would need if he sat in the general admission stands.
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Sir Keir’s register of interests shows that he has been donated thousands of pounds worth of football tickets to watch Arsenal away games this year before becoming the country’s leader – although these were donated by the clubs hosting the Gunners.
Image: Sir Keir Starmer in the stands ahead of the Manchester United v Arsenal match at Old Trafford in May. Pic: PA
Most were paid for by clubs or the Premier League, although others were contributed by other entities such as investment and engineering companies.
The level of donations accepted by the Labour leadership has been criticised by opposition politicians and annoyed those within Labour frustrated with the new government’s approach of indicating tax cuts are coming and reducing the winter fuel payment.
The party leader has also been criticised for accepting thousands of pounds worth of clothes from Labour peer Lord Waheed Alli, as well as the use of the peer’s flat – a gift valued at £20,000 – for his son to study for school exams during the election period.
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PM defends £20k donation from Lord Alli
Speaking on the football tickets, Baroness Harman said: “I think the idea that he can’t go, and stand in the stands because of security, people really understand that, and therefore he was offered the directors box because it’s secure.
“The difficulty is, is that even if he carried on paying his season ticket, the directors box is worth much more.
“So people will see it as somehow the directors having access to him.”
Baroness Harman suggested Sir Keir could financially contribute to his seats in the box in some way.
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In the past year, more than 70 MPs from across the political spectrum have accepted free tickets to sporting events according to the register of interest.
The source of the tickets has included private donors, corporations, football clubs and sport governing bodies.
Pakistan has allocated 2,000 megawatts of surplus electricity exclusively for Bitcoin mining and artificial intelligence centers.
The move is part of a broader digital transformation plan spearheaded by the Pakistan Crypto Council and backed by the Ministry of Finance, according to a May 25 report by local news outlet 24NewsHD TV Channel.
In the first phase, the government plans to channel excess power into AI infrastructure and crypto mining operations. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the decision is expected to attract billions in foreign investment while generating high-tech employment across the country.
The initiative’s second phase will introduce access to renewable energy for mining operations, aiming to balance growth with environmental responsibility.
Pakistan unveils tax incentives to attract investors
Per the report, interest from international Bitcoin (BTC) miners and AI firms has already picked up. Officials confirmed that multiple foreign delegations have visited Pakistan in recent months to explore potential partnerships.
To further incentivize investment, the Ministry of Finance announced a package of tax incentives for AI centers and duty exemptions for Bitcoin miners.
Bilal Bin Saqib, CEO of Pakistan’s Crypto Council, reportedly welcomed the development, calling it a “turning point” for the country’s digital economy.
Saqib claimed that with clear regulations and a transparent framework, Pakistan could emerge as a significant player in the global crypto and AI sectors.
The meeting included lawmakers, the Bank of Pakistan’s governor, the chairman of Pakistan’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SECP), and the federal information technology secretary.
The Pakistan Digital Assets Authority (PDAA) will serve as a regulatory body to oversee licensing and regulating exchanges, custodians, wallets, tokenized platforms, stablecoins, and decentralized finance applications.
Pakistan ranked highly in Chainalysis’ 2024 crypto adoption index, coming in ninth, mainly due to strong retail adoption and transactions at centralized services.
Pakistan ranked highly in Chainalysis’ 2024 crypto adoption index, coming in 9th. Source: Chainalysis
Data from Statista also shows Pakistan’s crypto market is “experiencing rapid growth,” estimating the number of crypto users to amount to over 27 million by 2025, out of a population of 247 million.
A Manhattan crypto investor is facing serious charges after allegedly kidnapping and torturing an Italian man in a disturbing bid to extract access to digital assets.
John Woeltz, 37, was arraigned on Saturday in Manhattan criminal court following his arrest on Friday. He stands accused of holding a 28-year-old Italian man captive for weeks inside a luxury townhouse in Soho, reportedly rented for $30,000 per month.
According to police reports cited by The New York Times, the victim arrived in the US on May 6 and was allegedly abducted by Woeltz and an accomplice.
The attackers are said to have stolen the man’s passport and electronic devices before demanding the password to his Bitcoin (BTC) wallet. When he refused, the suspects allegedly subjected him to prolonged physical abuse.
The victim described being beaten, shocked with electricity, assaulted with a firearm and even dangled from the upper floors of the five-story building.
He also told police that Woeltz used a saw to cut his leg and forced him to smoke crack cocaine. Threats were also reportedly made against his family.
Photographic evidence found inside the property, including Polaroids, appears to support claims of sustained abuse. The victim managed to escape on Friday and alert authorities, leading to Woeltz’s arrest.
Woeltz was charged with four felony counts, including kidnapping for ransom, and entered a plea of not guilty. Judge Eric Schumacher ordered him to be held without bail. He is expected back in court on May 28.
A 24-year-old woman was also taken into custody on Friday in connection with the incident. However, she was seen walking freely in New York the next day, and no charges against her were found in the court’s online database.
Authorities have yet to clarify the relationship between the suspect and the victim or whether any cryptocurrency was ultimately stolen.
Executives and investors in the crypto industry are increasingly seeking personal security services as kidnapping and ransom cases surge, especially in France.
On May 18, Amsterdam-based private firm Infinite Risks International reported a rise in requests for bodyguards and long-term protection contracts from high-profile figures in the space.
This comes amid a recent surge in kidnappings and ransom attempts. David Balland, the co-founder of hardware wallet company Ledger, was kidnapped in January 2025 and held for ransom for several days before being rescued by French police.
In May 2024, the father of an unnamed crypto entrepreneur was freed from a ransom attempt after French law enforcement officials raided the location in a Paris suburb where the individual was being held hostage by organized criminals.
Sir Keir Starmer could decide to lift the two-child benefit cap in the autumn budget, amid further pressure from Nigel Farage to appeal to traditional Labour voters.
The Reform leader will use a speech this week to commit his party to scrapping the two-child cap, as well as reinstating winter fuel payments in full.
There are now mounting suggestions an easing of the controversial benefit restriction may be unveiled when the chancellor delivers the budget later this year.
According to The Observer, Sir Keir told cabinet ministers he wanted to axe the measure – and asked the Treasury to look for ways to fund the move.
The Financial Times reported it may be done by restoring the benefit to all pensioners, with the cash needed being clawed back from the wealthy through the tax system.
The payment was taken from more than 10 million pensioners this winter after it became means-tested, and its unpopularity was a big factor in Labour’s battering at recent elections.
Before Wednesday’s PMQs, the prime minister and chancellor had insisted there would be no U-turn.
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Will winter fuel U-turn happen?
Many Labour MPs have called for the government to do more to help the poorest in society, amid mounting concern over the impact of wider benefit reforms.
Former prime minister Gordon Brown this week told Sky News the two-child cap was “pretty discriminatory” and could be scrapped by raising money through a tax on the gambling industry.
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Brown questioned over winter fuel U-turn
Mr Farage, who believes Reform UK can win the next election, will this week accuse Sir Keir of being “out of touch with working people”.
In a speech first reported by The Sunday Telegraph, he is expected to say: “It’s going to be these very same working people that will vote Reform at the next election and kick Labour out of government.”