Recent news has emerged that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has received an additional £16,000 worth of clothes from Lord Alli, a Labour peer. As reported by The Guardian, these donations were initially declared as money for Starmer’s private office as leader of the opposition. The gifts, which amounted to £10,000 in October 2023 and £6,000 in February of this year, were declared on time, and were set to be categorized as donations to his private office, but will now be recategorized as in-kind clothing donations, following advice sought by Downing Street over the donations.
Despite the controversy surrounding these donations, Starmer insisted that he has always adhered to the rules when it comes to donations. In response to the controversy, Starmer, his deputy Angela Rayner, and Chancellor Rachel Reeves plan to no longer accept donations of clothing. To the BBC, Starmer admitted to accepting clothing donations during his time in opposition during a “busy election campaign” and stated that he wouldn’t be making declarations regarding clothing again.
Lord Alli, a regular donor to the Labour leader, has also been at the centre of controversy in the past, with questions raised about his temporary security pass to Downing Street despite having no formal government role. The TV executive has previously given £16,000 for clothing and £2,485 for multiple pairs of glasses to Starmer, with the Prime Minister also defending his acceptance of £20,000 worth of accommodation from Lord Alli during the election campaign.
The SNP has called for an investigation into donations made to the PM and other Labour MPs by Lord Alli. In a letter to the standards commissioners, independent advisor on minister’s interests Sir Laurie Magnus, and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, SNP MP Brendan O’Hara stated that the revelations have become “Sir Keir Starmer’s version of the expenses scandal,” and unless the issue is “comprehensively investigated,” it would inevitably continue to erode public trust
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
