Sir Keir Starmer was accused of ‘hoodwinking’ the public after telling Britain to work from home during Covid from the comfort of Lord Alli’s luxury penthouse.
In the newly-unearthed December 2021 clip, the then Leader of the Opposition attacked Boris Johnson’s government for its pandemic response.
He also urged people to work from home and get Covid-19 booster jabs to protect the NHS amid the spread of the Omicron variant.
Behind Sir Keir were a picture of his family – wife Victoria and their two children – and an assortment of Christmas cards, creating the impression, especially given the ‘sticking to the rules’ message being delivered, that the video was shot in his family home in Kentish Town, north London.
But last night it emerged the clip was actually shot in the same £18million flat into which the Labour leader and his family moved into during this year’s election campaign.
Sir Keir Starmer (Pictured) has been accused of duping the British public after encouraging them to work from home from the comfort of Lord Alli’s luxury penthouse
It has emerged the clip where the now Prime Minister filmed his COVID-19 response was in Lord Waheed Ali’s (Pictured) luxury pad
The penthouse belonging to former TV mogul and fashion boss Lord Alli, in the Covent Garden area of central London, has long been a hangout for Labour grandees. He has allowed dozens of party meetings and parties to take place in the three-bedroom, two-terrace property in recent years.
But former Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick said: ‘After years of Starmer’s piety, it looks like Mr Rules was trying to hoodwink the country all along. He would have been the first to call for this to be investigated if the shoe was on the other foot – it’s only right that equal scrutiny applies.’
Tory MP Dr Kieran Mullan added: ‘Starmer says he is “Mr honesty and integrity”. If that was not his home, then he has apparently lied to the public.
‘Whether you say “this is my home” or put up pictures to that effect, it’s a lie. It’s a visual lie.’
In the 2021 clip, Sir Keir said it ‘doesn’t stack up’ that not enough was known about the Omicron variant. Mr Johnson had activated Plan B, requiring face masks in most public places and on public transport, guidance that office workers should work from home and the requirement for a Covid passport at nightclubs and other venues.
Sir Keir added: ‘We may not be certain how dangerous it [the Omicron variant] is, but we do know lives are at risk.
‘And again our NHS is at risk of being overwhelmed. If that happens more people will die. So we must do everything we can to protect the NHS.’
Urging people to get booster vaccination jabs, he said: ‘We must all put the national interest first and play by the rules.
‘It would be easy to let the festivities we’ve all been looking forward to divert us from our national duty – getting jabbed, wearing masks and working from home if we can, really will help prevent infections.’
He added: ‘At this time we need leadership, leadership that the country can trust.’ No 10 sources last night said the Labour leader was not living at Lord Alli’s at the time the clip, later broadcast on national TV, was filmed.
They insisted no social distancing guidance in place at the time was breached but did not offer an explanation as to why he did not film the address in his own home. Asked if the PM was completely confident that no lockdown rules were broken at the time, his press secretary replied: ‘Correct.’
Located in Convent Garden the luxury pad (Pictured: The exterior) has been a longtime hangout for Labour grandes
Lord Alli was ennobled by Sir Tony Blair in 1998. He has donated more than £500,000 to Labour over two decades but, until recently, has largely stayed in the background while offering his luxury home to politicians. In January 2015, fellow Labour peer Lord Mandelson’s former adviser, Matthew Doyle, organised a £100 per head exclusive dinner at the property.
It was to raise cash for two up-and-coming Blairite MPs, including Wes Streeting, the current Health Secretary. Mr Doyle is now director of communications for No 10. Other similar events have been hosted at the property. A Conservative Party spokesman said: ‘At the start of this year, Starmer promised to restore standards in public life with a “total crackdown” on cronyism.
‘In that spirit, he should now explain why he didn’t declare the use of Lord Alli’s penthouse for political purposes, and why he was not honest about passing off someone else’s house as his own.
The Tory spokesman added: ‘This appears to be an attempt to hoodwink the public into believing Keir Starmer was at home.’
