Keir Starmer caved to pressure following days of criticism over gifts from wealthy donors and will no longer take cash for clothes - along with Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves
Keir Starmer will no longer accept gifts of clothes after a damaging row over donations.
No10 sources confirmed that the PM, Deputy PM Angela Rayner and Chancellor Rachel Reeves will now refuse gifts of this kind. It comes after fresh revelations that Ms Rayner and Ms Reeves received thousands of pounds of work clothes from wealthy donors.
The row had threatened to loom over Labour’s first party conference in power for 15 years, which kicks off in Liverpool at the weekend. But tonight No10 made an abrupt shift to defuse further damaging headlines.
The PM has been dogged by criticism for accepting thousands of pounds worth of clothes and glasses for himself and his wife Victoria from Labour donor Lord Alli. MPs are required to declare gifts within 28 days but a late declaration was made regarding outfits for Lady Starmer after No10 sought new advice.
Mr Starmer initially doubled down and refused to rule out accepting further such gifts. But he will now refuse donations for his wardrobe. It is understood that Lady Starmer will only accept items loaned by designers going forward.
Ms Rayner has accepted four donations from Lord Alli over the past year, including £8,500 last October, £8,250 in March and £900 in April to "support me in my capacity as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party". It is understood that this money was partly used to buy work clothes for major events.
A fourth donation for £3,550 was logged in June for "undertaking parliamentary duties", which is also understood to have included work clothing. Ms Rayner separately declared £2,230 in clothes from designer ME&EM that month.
Ms Reeves also accepted nearly £7,500 from a donor called Juliet Rosenfeld from January 2023 to May 2024, which were registered as cash "to support the Shadow Chancellor’s office" and was put towards buying outfits. Her team has been informed that the gifts were properly declared, the Mirror was told.
It is understood that neither Ms Reeves nor Ms Rayner intend to accept further donations of this kind now they are in Government.
Earlier, Home Office Minister Jess Phillips admitted she "worries about how things look" after Mr Starmer enjoyed thousands of pounds worth of free football tickets while slashing the winter fuel allowance for millions of pensioners. She said the PM has "lived entirely by the rules" after it was reported he had received £107,145 in gifts, benefits and hospitality since becoming Labour leader.
Pressed on the contrast with the winter fuel cut, she said: "Those two things are completely separate things and had he never been to watch the Arsenal there would still be a £22billion black hole that had to be paid for.
"But of course I worry about how things look and I want people to feel like the Government is having to make some very, very difficult decisions but fundamentally is working to try to make things better. All I can say is I’m absolutely knackered trying to make things better."
Mr Starmer has received more lavish gifts and hospitality than any other MP since December 2019. This includes £6,000 on tickets for Arsenal matches, glasses and clothes, and £4,000 on Taylor Swift tickets during the General Election campaign.
Defending his decision to accept corporate hospitality, the PM on Thursday said he cannot go in the stands at Arsenal for security reasons. Mr Starmer, who has been an Arsenal season ticket holder for years, added: "The club have made arrangements for me to watch from elsewhere, it’s as simple as that."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
