Sir Keir Starmer has paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts – including Taylor Swift tickets and a clothing deal for his wife – in a bid to move on from his donations row.
The PM is covering the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four tickets to the races and a rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by Lady Victoria Starmer.
It comes after Sir Keir and other Cabinet members faced weeks of criticism for accepting tens of thousands of pounds worth of freebies from wealthy donors.
The PM has committed to overhauling hospitality rules for ministers to ensure better transparency about what is provided following the backlash.
Sir Keir’s move came shortly after it was disclosed that one of his top donors, Lord Waheed Alli, is being probed by a House of Lords watchdog over ‘alleged non-registration of interests’.
The House of Lords Commissioners for Standards said the millionaire businessman was being investigated over possible breaches of peers’ code of conduct.
But it is understood the probe does not relate to donations and instead is a ‘clerical element’ of already declared interests.
Sir Keir Starmer has paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts – including Taylor Swift tickets and a clothing deal for his wife – in a bid to move on from a donations row
A Downing Street spokesperson said: ‘The PM has commissioned a new set of principles on gifts and hospitality to be published as part of the updated ministerial code.
‘Ahead of the publication of the new code, the PM has paid for several entries on his own register. This will appear in the next register of members’ interests.’
Gifts paid for by Sir Keir include four Taylor Swift tickets from Universal Music Group totalling £2,800, two from the Football Association at a cost of £598, and four to Doncaster Races from Arena Racing Corporation at £1,939.
An £839 clothing rental agreement with Edeline Lee, the designer recently worn by his wife to London Fashion Week, along with one hour of hair and makeup, was also covered by the PM.
Sir Keir Starmer’s top donor Lord Waheed Alli, pictured at last month’s Labour conference in Liverpool, is being probed by a House of Lords watchdog
Lord Alli has recently found himself at the centre of a ‘freebies’ row engulfing the Prime Minister, pictured in Brussels today, which has dogged Downing Street for weeks
Lord Alli funded high-end clothing for Sir Keir’s wife, Victoria, and provided free accommodation for the PM and his family
The House of Lords Commissioners for Standards said the millionaire businessman was being investigated over possible breaches of peers’ code of conduct
Sir Keir recently defended using a house owned by Lord Alli for a video urging people to work from home during the Covid pandemic
Lord Alli recently found himself at the centre of the ‘freebies’ row engulfing the PM, which has dogged Downing Street for weeks.
He is caught up in what has become known as ‘wardrobegate’ after splurging thousands of pounds on suits and glasses for Sir Keir ahead of the general election.
The Labour peer was also revealed to have bought high-end clothing for Sir Keir’s wife, Victoria, and provided free accommodation for the PM and his family.
His lavish gifts also extended to other senior Labour figures.
Lord Alli allowed Deputy PM Angela Rayner to stay in his plush New York apartment while on holiday, and he bankrolled a 40th birthday bash for Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.
Under parliamentary rules, peers must register all their relevant interests and make sure any change in their relevant interests is registered within one month of the change.
A new listing on the Commissioners’ website today stated: ‘Lord Alli – Alleged non-registration of interests leading to potential breaches of paragraphs 14(a) and 17 of the thirteenth edition of the Code of Conduct for Members of the House of Lords.’
The only other peer listed as being under investigation is Baroness Mone, who has been caught up in a PPE scandal.
It was reported last month by OpenDemocracy how Lord Alli only added his directorship in a British Virgin Islands-based firm to his register of interests after being asked why it was missing.
Lord Alli told the website the omission was an ‘unintentional error’, adding: ‘I hadn’t realised until you asked that it wasn’t listed on my register of interests’.
He now lists his directorship in MAC (BVI) Limited as a ‘non-financial interest’.
Lord Alli is a media tycoon who has been known in political circles for years and donated to Labour for more than two decades.
His donations to senior Labour figures includes £20,000 declared by Sir Keir for accommodation during the general election campaign.
The PM has said this was to allow his son to study for his GCSEs in peace at Lord Alli’s central London flat, while the Starmer’s family home was surrounded by media.
Sir Keir recently defended using a house owned by Lord Alli for a video urging people to work from home during the Covid pandemic.
The PM said the idea it was his home was ‘farcical’, despite there being photos of his family and Christmas cards behind him during the recording, made in December 2021 during the Omicron variant wave.
Instead of it being recorded at Sir Keir’s home in north London, it was filmed at Lord Alli’s flat in Covent Garden, central London.
Lord Alli is a media tycoon who has been known in political circles for years and donated to Labour for more than two decades.
Lord Alli allowed Deputy PM Angela Rayner (left) to stay in his plush New York apartment, and he bankrolled a 40th birthday bash for Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson (right)
Sir Keir has said the peer was motivated to help himself and other Cabinet ministers financially because he wanted Labour to win the election.
There is no suggestion that the PM or members of his Cabinet broke any rules in accepting freebies.
But there has been close scrutiny of Lord Alli’s links to Sir Keir after it emerged the Labour peer was given a No10 pass shortly after the party’s election win, despite seemingly not having a Government role.
His pass has since been handed back but Sir Keir has continued to be dogged by the row also dubbed as ‘passes for glasses’.
The PM has since committed to overhauling hospitality rules for ministers to ensure better transparency about what is provided.
Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield cited the freebies row as one of the reasons she resigned the Labour whip on Saturday in protest against the party’s leadership.
A Labour spokesperson said: ‘Lord Alli will cooperate fully with the Lords’ Commissioner and he is confident all interests have been registered.
‘We cannot comment further while this is ongoing.’
A spokesman for the House of Lords said they did not comment on ongoing investigations.
