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Despite being in office for less than three months, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has already caused a stir for accepting donations of clothes and other gifts from a wealthy businessman.
The Labour leader, who swept to power on a promise to restore trust in politics, has denied wrongdoing over thousands of pounds worth of clothing and glasses paid for by Waheed Alli, a media mogul and long-time party donor.
Starmer’s headache was compounded after a BBC Report revealed that his chief of staff, Sue Grey, receives £170,000, or $225,000, a year, which is about £3,000 more than the prime minister’s salary.
Grey, a former senior public official, is best known for leading an investigation into parties that violated lockdown measures in government buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer listens to a speech by British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, England, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Jon Tremendous)
Grey’s findings helped topple Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and his subsequent decision to work for Starmer led the Conservatives to claim the “Partygate” inquiry was politically biased, something Grey has denied.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party has accused the Conservatives of fomenting a controversy to tarnish the government.
MPs can accept gifts but must declare donations and extra-parliamentary income within 28 days – a deadline Starmer failed to meet. He attributed the delay to his staff seeking advice on what exactly needed to be declared.
“I am very consistent about sticking to the rules,” Starmer said this week, rejecting suggestions that prime ministers should have a wardrobe budget.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer leaves 10 Downing Avenue to attend the weekly Prime Ministers’ Questions session at Parliament in London, Wednesday, July 24, 2024. (Photo AP/Frank Augstein)
Starmer dismissed allegations of disagreement among his staff over Grey and her pay, insisting he is “fully in control”.
“I am focused and every day the message I give to the team is exactly the same: we have to deliver,” he told the BBC on Thursday. “We were elected with a great mandate to bring about change and I am determined to do so.”
The scale of the gifts accepted by Starmer and his wife, Victoria, has baffled even their supporters. Sky Information reported that Starmer has declared “gifts, benefits and hospitality” worth more than £100,000 since December 2019, more than any other lawmaker.
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Donations include thousands of pounds worth of tickets to Premier League matches featuring the Prime Minister’s beloved football team Arsenal.
After the controversy erupted, the Labour Party said Starmer would not accept any more free clothes.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, right, and Foreign Secretary David Lammy, second right, during a meeting with President Biden, center left, in the Blue Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool vía AP)
Deputy First Minister Angela Rayner, who also accepted donations to buy clothes, told the BBC: “I understand people are angry.” [but] “Gift and hospitality donations and monetary donations have long been a feature of our policy.”
“People can look it up and see what they’ve donated to, and transparency is really important,” Rayner said.
Labour leaders hope a four-day annual conference, which began on Sunday, will inject some much-needed morale into the party.
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Fox Information Digital has reached out to 10 Downing St. and Alli for further comment.
