Keir Starmer revealed diary team plans his schedule around Arsenal before hospitality row
Sir Keir Starmer's comments came just months before an investigation found the Labour Party leader had received £23,000 worth of hospitality for Arsenal matches during the last parliament.
Sir Keir Starmer previously revealed that the only way he can support Arsenal in person each Premier League season is if his diary team plans his work schedule around matches.
A die-hard Gunners fan, Mr Starmer has defended declaring £23,000 of hospitality gifts relating to Arsenal away matches during the last parliament.
He claims a majority of the costs related to away games where his “desire to go in the stands” was not “met with approval” from his security team.
Mr Starmer can regularly be spotted attending games at the Emirates stadium and has now explained how he finds time to juggle running the Labour Party and his passion for Mikel Arteta’s North London side.
Speaking to Arsenal Fan TV (AFTV) in an interview with founder Robbie Lyle towards the end of last year, he said: “Time is a hard thing to find, the only way I can make it work is, as soon as the fixtures come out, I get my diary team to put them all in.
“Then I’ve got another diary team that monitors when they get moved, so we can get it in really, really early.
“So that is the only way, and that is how I get to most of the home games"
Mr Starmer, however, explained that attending midweek and Champions League matches can be more difficult due to scheduling.
He added: “If they get moved at the last minute it makes it difficult. And the midweek Champions League games will be good but that'll be a bit more tricky.”
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Despite some difficulties, Sir Keir told the YouTube channel that he still enjoys attending games at the Emirates, particularly as his 16-year-old son also shares his passion for Arsenal.
The recent investigation from the Financial Times found Mr Starmer had claimed a total of £76,000 in gifts in the last parliament.
Explaining the £23,000 in Arsenal away tickets, he explained: "Quite a lot of that was Arsenal hospitality and particularly away games where you can appreciate my desire to go in the stands is not always met with approval by the security teams around me.
“It means that I’m in corporate hospitality if I want to see the game.”
Meanwhile, the Labour leader's schedule has recently come under fire from the Conservatives after he said he tries to avoid working after 6pm on a Friday in order to spend time with his family.
The Tories said Mr Starmer's stance would make him a “part-time” prime minister, but this opinion has faced criticism as the politician's wife Victoria is Jewish, with Friday night Shabbat dinners considered important in the faith.
