Sir Keir Starmer has paid back £6,000 in gifts and hospitality as the so-called “freebies row” threatens to spiral out of control and plunge his government into chaos. The prime minister’s gesture came on a day when Tory leadership candidates described his government as “the most venal in history”. This was shortly followed by the announcement of an investigation launched into the probity of billionaire Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli who was responsible for many of the gifts to Starmer, his wife Victoria and many members of the cabinet.
. And while Sir Keir was trying to end the criticism and get his government back on track, the row appeared to intensify as it was revealed that deputy prime minister Angela Rayner received £836 worth of hospitality while partying in Ibiza . Added to that, foreign secretary David Lammy headed a group of Labour MPs and senior figures receiving Taylor Swift concert tickets.
After weeks of claiming he had done nothing wrong, the prime minister appears to have accepted the criticism of the fact he has pocketed £107,000 in gifts since 2019. As a result he has announced that he is covering the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four to the races and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer. He has not decided to reject the use of the directors’ box at Arsenal matches though.
Sir Keir though attempted to avoid questions on the issue when he held a press conference in Brussels only no.
