Neither Sir Keir Starmer, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, nor Chancellor Rachel Reeves will accept donations for clothing in the future, according to information
from the PA news agency.
This decision follows Labour’s effort to resolve controversy surrounding Sir Keir and his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer, receiving gifts, including clothing, from major Labour donor and peer, Lord Alli.
Since December 2019, Sir Keir has accepted approximately £39,000 in donations from Lord Alli. Similarly, reports from the Financial Times indicate that donations "in kind" to both Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves, as listed in their registers of interests, were also related to clothing.
Ms. Rayner received clothing support from Lord Alli, while a donor named Juliet Rosenfeld provided multiple instalments of funding towards Ms. Reeves' wardrobe, according to the FT.
This development arises as the Labour Party prepares for its first annual conference in Liverpool since winning the general election in July. Despite the controversy, Sir Keir insists that he has followed all rules regarding donations.
In a separate issue, the Prime Minister, a dedicated Arsenal fan, has faced criticism for accepting over £35,000 in complimentary football tickets during the last Parliament, along with additional gifts of clothes and concert tickets.
Although Sir Keir is an Arsenal season ticket holder, he explained to the BBC that security concerns now prevent him from watching matches in the stands without requiring a large and costly police presence. He emphasized that he wouldn’t ask taxpayers to cover such expenses and instead would sit in areas deemed safer by the club and security.
Most of Sir Keir’s football tickets have been provided by football clubs or the Premier League, while investment firm Cain International and Teescraft Engineering sponsored his attendance at specific games against Chelsea and Newcastle.
Sir Keir is not alone in receiving gifts, as more than 70 MPs from various political parties have declared free tickets to sporting events in their registers of interests. These tickets have been offered by private donors, corporations, football clubs, and sports governing bodies.
Responding to the controversy, a Conservative Party spokesperson commented: “Labour’s top team, including Keir Starmer, has accepted thousands of pounds worth of free clothes while leaving millions of pensioners to face a harsh winter.”
The spokesperson added, “Labour preaches integrity, morality, and tough decisions, yet has repeatedly failed to properly register these gifts. The British public can see through this hypocrisy.” Photo by Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street, Wikimedia commons.