Britain’s Keir Starmer has repaid thousands of pounds worth of gifts from wealthy donors, his office said on Wednesday, following criticism over freebies received by the prime minister and other Labour politicians. Only months after Starmer and his Labour Party were elected to power, he and some of his top ministers have come under fire for accepting donations to pay for clothing, host parties, attend concerts and foreign travel. Starmer’s Downing Street office said he had repaid more than £6,000 (US$7,961) worth of gifts ahead of the publication of a proposed new code for such donations.
“We are now going to bring forward principles for donations, because until now politicians have used their best individual judgment on a case-by-case basis,” Starmer said when asked about the repayments by reporters during a trip to Brussels. “So I took the decision that until the principles are in place, it was right for me to make those repayments,” he said. The £6,000 will cover the cost of six tickets for a Taylor Swift concert, four horse racing tickets and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end fashion designer.
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