The Prime Minister defended his decision to take gifts from Labour peer Lord Alli amid criticism of the arrangement, saying he was “not going to apologise for not doing anything wrong” and the freebies did not “cost the taxpayer a penny”. But Starmer signalled he could continue to accept hospitality from donors, saying that it was a matter of “judgment” for individual MPs whether they receive certain kinds of donations. In a series of broadcast interviews following his speech to the Labour Party annual conference, he also said the transition to Downing Street had been “really difficult” for his two children, who were previously raised in North London.
READ MORE: New Labour Government ‘can do a lot more’ to help Gazans, says Palestinian ambassador Asked about the donations, Starmer said that around £20,000 he had declared from Alli for unspecified accommodation was for his teenager to study for exams in a “peaceful” atmosphere while the then-Labour leader was overwhelmed with media attention in the run-up to the election. “My boy, 16, was in the middle of his GCSEs. I made him a promise, a promise that he would be able to get to his school, do his exams, without being disturbed,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“We have lots of journalists outside our house where we live and I’m not complaining about that, that’s fine. “But if you’re a 16-year-old trying to do your GCSEs and it’s your one chance in life – I promised him we wo.