Full breakdown of Keir Starmer's £84k of freebies - from Taylor Swift to football matches
While planning his election triumph in July, Sir Keir welcomed with open arms large amounts of gifts and hospitality, including designer clothes and glasses and tickets to several football matches.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has come under fire for nearly £83,780 in donations and hospitality he received, largely while leader of the opposition.
While planning his election triumph in July, Sir Keir welcomed with open arms large amounts of gifts and hospitality, including designer clothes and glasses and tickets to several football matches.
The current furore surrounding these declarations and those of other Labour heavyweights, including Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves has already led to the first day of the party's conference being overshadowed by the issue.
It stemmed from clothes and glasses donated to Sir Keir by top Labour Party donor and peer Waheed Alli, who also funded £5,000 of clothes for his wife, Victoria, which were not declared within the required 28 days of receiving them.
Downing Street said on Monday that the parliamentary standards commissioner would not be launching an investigation into the alleged breach.
Lord Alli is a entrepreneur was co-creator of the reality TV series Survivor.
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Ms Reeves and Rayner also received donations for work outfits. Deputy prime minister, Ms Rayner, got a £3,550 donation for work clothing from Lord Alli in June.
Ms Reeves accepted a donation of £7,500 from donor, Juliet Rosenfeld, since the beginning of 2023, also used to pay for clothing.
MPs have to declare “any interest which someone might reasonably consider to influence their actions or words as an MP”, and the declarations are then published on the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.
Now Express.co.uk has analysed Sir Keir's latest declarations in full to give you the full list of cash and items received since last August until the start of this month.
In October 2023 and February 2024, he was given £10,000 and then £6,000 respectively from Lord Alli.
It was declared as being for "the private office of the Leader of the Opposition."
Former ASOS chairman Lord Alli also gave Sir Keir in April £16,200 to pay for “work clothing” and a further £2,485 for “multiple pairs of glasses”.
It is understood that the huge sums were to ensure Sir Keir could "look his best" as he tried to drum up votes from hard up Brits up and down the country.
The subsequent row surrounding donations for top clobber has led to a retrospective pledge from an embarrassed Labour party, that has always pitted itself as being for the people, to no longer accept donations of clothes going forward.
But, questions remain as to why Lord Alli was granted an access-all-areas pass to Downing Street after Labour's election win, despite having no formal Government role.
Sir Keir has also received accommodation worth £20,437 between the dates of May 29 before the election until July 13 after the win.
It is understood to have been at Lord Alli's £18 million London penthouse and equates to £444 per night if he stayed there daily.
In summer 2023 Sir Keir was treated to a week in accommodation for four people in beauty spot the Gower Peninsula worth £4,500.
It was provided by Crownhawk Properties based in Swansea, which was set up by Welsh entrepreneur Rod Lloyd, who also runs van hire business LVC Group.
Mr Starmer referenced his holiday to Gower when he visited Abergavenny to launch the party's campaign in Wales this year.
He said: "Vic and I holiday in Wales every year. We go down to Swansea, she looks after and last year we were in The Gower near Oxwich and it’s really really beautiful."
A video of a visit by Sir Keir to the company is on its Twitter feed, along with pictures of Sir Keir with Welsh Labour's deputy leader, Carolyn Harris, candidate for Swansea East and Neath.
In May 2020 Mr Lloyd told the Newsfromwales.co.uk why he was backing Sir Keir as Labour leader.
He said: "Growing up in Neath, I learned the value of socialism; I have always believed in a society where nobody feels downtrodden.
“I don’t think that needs to be linked to a political party, I’m not a member of any of them. But I believe we need to invest in hospitals and education to take care of people and to make sure that everyone enjoys a good standard of life.”
Arsenal fan Sir Keir also received tickets and hospitality totalling around £19,000 for 12 football matches, from August 2023 to June this year, including nine when his beloved team Arsenal were playing.
Sir Keir has previously said he accepts corporate hospitality for football matches on security grounds.
He said in July: "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.”
As for social events, Sir Keir was one of five Labour MPs to declare freebies to Taylor Swift concerts.
The Prime Minister declared the gift of four hospitality tickets from the Premier League to see the Shake It Off singer at Wembley Stadium in June, at an estimated value of £4,000.
He posted on X a picture of himself and his wife Victoria during the concert.
Labour MPs Ian Byrne, Dan Carden, Kim Johnson and Catherine McKinnell also declared free tickets to Taylor Swift concerts in London and Liverpool.
Sir Keir also had from Global Media and Entertainment Ltd last December four tickets to the Jingle Bell Ball with hospitality, worth £800.
In May the National Theatre treated him to four tickets to see Nye worth £358.
Asked by the Financial Times generally about his use of freebies in July, Mr Starmer said the transparency of the register meant that “everybody can see who donated, what it was for, and how much it is, so you can ensure there’s no conflict of interest, as I would ensure there’s no conflict of interest.”
In a TV interview on Monday this week, he was asked if he would continue to take donations from Lord Alli.
He said: "All Members of Parliament get gifts and the important thing is that they’re declared in accordance with the rules”.
A Labour Party spokesperson added: "All donations are declared in accordance with Parliamentary and Electoral Commission rules.”
Keir Starmer defends his attendance at Arsenal games
Sir Kier's Football Freebies Since August 2023
Crystal Palace Football Club - Three tickets with hospitality for Crystal Palace v Arsenal, value £2,142
Swansea City AFC - Five tickets with hospitality for Swansea City v Bournemouth, value £800
Cain International UK Services Ltd - Two tickets with hospitality to Chelsea vs Arsenal football match, value £2,400
Teescraft Engineering Ltd - Four tickets with hospitality for Newcastle United v Arsenal, value £1,000
West Ham United Football Club - Two tickets for prematch hospitality in the Chairman’s Lounge and to the match, value £2,000 (estimated)
Norwich City Football Club - Four match tickets and hospitality, value £820
Premier League - Five tickets with hospitality to Arsenal vs Porto, value £3,000
Manchester City Football Club - Hospitality and match tickets for two people to Manchester City vs Arsenal, value £900 (approximate)
Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club, Four tickets and hospitality to Brighton vs Arsenal, value £500 (value is approximate)
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club - Four tickets and hospitality to Arsenal vs Wolverhampton Wanderers, value £1,488 (approximate)
Tottenham Hotspur Ltd - Five tickets and hospitality to Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal, value £2,500 (approximate)
Manchester United - Two tickets in the Directors’ Box (including dining) at Old Trafford for Manchester United v Arsenal FC, value £1,790 (approximate).
