Starmer declares £100,000 in gifts, surpassing other party leaders

Labour donor Waheed Alli also provided work clothing worth £12,000, accommodation valued at £20,000, and £2,485 for glasses.

• EasternEye
• 18 September, 2024

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By: EasternEye

KEIR Starmer has declared more than £100,000 in free tickets and gifts, surpassing other recent major party leaders.

According to The Guardian, Starmer has received almost 40 sets of free tickets, including £4,000 worth of Taylor Swift concert hospitality and £698 in Coldplay tickets.

Labour donor Waheed Alli also provided work clothing worth £12,000, accommodation valued at £20,000, and £2,485 for glasses, raising concerns about the scale of gifts.

Labour minister Angela Eagle struggled to defend Starmer’s acceptance of these gifts, especially during an interview with Times Radio. When asked why the prime minister couldn’t purchase his own glasses, Eagle responded that she was not responsible for his decisions.

Starmer has previously justified his acceptance of hospitality as necessary due to security requirements, stating that he couldn’t attend events like football matches without such support.

Starmer’s free gifts have significantly outpaced those declared by previous opposition leaders.

David Cameron declared rugby tickets and discounted personal training sessions, while Ed Miliband accepted upgrades on a flight to South Africa and Paralympic tickets, the newspaper reported.

Jeremy Corbyn, during his time as Labour leader, accepted only Glastonbury tickets and a museum donation but declared significant donations to his legal fund after stepping down.

Boris Johnson declared over £100,000 in free accommodation and various gifts, including a £15,000 holiday and a £4,000 bike.

Rishi Sunak has declared no personal hospitality beyond honorary Carlton Club membership, while Liz Truss declared four events during her time in Parliament, including a football match and tickets to Wimbledon and Newmarket races.