Labour cronyism row intensifies as top donor given Downing Street pass
Lord Waheed Alli, who has donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to the party, also organised a post-election reception in the Downing Street garden with others who helped to bankroll its campaign.
Labour’s cronyism row has intensified amid claims a top donor was given a Downing Street pass.
Lord Waheed Alli, who has donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to the party, also organised a post-election reception in the Downing Street garden with others who helped to bankroll its campaign.
It was said to be a “thank you” event for those who had supported Sir Keir Starmer’s party.
Downing Street aides have admitted handing out a pass to someone who does not hold a government role is highly unusual.
But speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said that while Lord Alli may have had a pass "for a short time" immediately after the election, he no longer has one.
He said: "I don't think it's unusual for people to have passes to attend political meetings if they need to do so.
"I don't think he's got the pass now but he may have had one in the past."
Lord Alli, a television executive who was ennobled by Sir Tony Blair in 1998, has donated more than £500,000 to the Labour Party and senior Labour figures over the past 20 years, including to Sir Keir Starmer, along with providing clothes and accommodation for the Prime Minister.
He also worked as the party's chief fundraiser for the General Election, having been hired by Sir Keir in 2022.
Lord Alli, in the run up to the election, held dinners at his Mayfair home where senior politicians could mix with wealthy donors.
It is rare for donors to receive a pass for Number 10, with access usually being restricted to civil servants, advisers and close family members of the Prime Minister.
Reports about Lord Alli's pass come amid a growing row over jobs in the Civil Service being given to Labour donors.
Ian Corfield, who has donated £20,000 to the party over the past decade, including £5,000 to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, was given a temporary job as the Treasury's director of investment.
On Saturday, it emerged that Mr Corfield would now be working as an unpaid adviser rather than a salaried civil servant. The Conservatives urged the Prime Minister's ethics adviser to investigate his appointment.
Others with ties to Labour or Labour-supporting think tanks have also been appointed to Civil Service roles, prompting complaints from the opposition about the politicisation of the usually impartial bureaucracy.
