Taylor Swift, Ashes cricket and Wimbledon Royal Box - meet Labour's minister for freebies
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is facing criticism after receiving over £3,000 worth of tickets to high-profile sports and music events in the past year.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson is facing criticism after parliamentary records showed her receiving several sports and entertainment gifts in the last year.
Ms Phillipson was lucky enough to be given tickets to Wimbledon’s Royal Box, cricket at Lords and the Oval, Taylor Swift and the National Theatre at a combined cost of £3,139.54.
The Education Secretary unconvincingly tried to defend being given the tickets to see pop megastar Taylor Swift by claiming: “I'll be honest - it was a hard one to turn down.
"I appreciate there was a big demand for the tickets. It was a privilege to be there."
She then told ITV News: "One of my children was keen to go along. It's hard to say no if you're offered tickets in those circumstances.
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“But it was declared. I've been clear about that, but I do recognise that I'm in a fortunate position to be able to receive it."
Ms Phillipson took two of 14 tickets given to Labour cabinet members for £522.54 which included entry and hospitality.
Other Labour cabinet members who have received similar gifts have donated the cost of the money to charity, with Minister for International Development and Women and Equalities Anneliese Dodds donating the £450 cost of three tickets to the Women’s FA Cup Final to charity.
It is not believed that Ms Phillipson did the same, although she claimed that some events were attended by members of her team.
The gifts come in addition to a £4,000 donation by Labour Peer Lord Alli for Ms Phillipson’s 40th birthday party in December last year, something she defended as a “work event.”
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She said: “The event was ahead of my birthday, so I was turning 40. I thought it was a good opportunity to get people together in a professional context, so it was journalists, trade unionists, education people, MPs and shadow cabinet.”
Ms Phillipson is not the only member of the Labour cabinet with a penchant for all expenses paid trips to watch British Sports.
Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell has outdone the Education Secretary, receiving nearly £5,000 in tickets to watch Manchester City from hospitality, the Grand National, Women’s FA Cup Final and the British Grand Prix.
Ms Powell, an active social media user, regularly shares photos of her trips with her 3,200 followers on Instagram.
On Question Time last week, Ms Powell dodged the question of whether there was any justification for an MP to accept a gift, insisting that you “could not compare” the controversy with previous criticisms of Labour.
