Keir Starmer has insisted he will continue to accept gifts from Labour peer Lord Alli, dismissing accusations that he breached parliamentary rules over gifts of clothing to his wife.
The opposition leader defended his actions as fully compliant with regulations, pushing back against Conservative calls for a full investigation.
Prime Minister Starmer stated that there was a “massive difference between declarations and corruption.” He rejected the suggestion that taxpayers should fund attire for senior politicians and their spouses, a concern raised by critics. Starmer emphasized that the rules for declaring gifts are transparent, allowing the public to scrutinize them.
Under parliamentary rules, MPs must register gifts and donations within 28 days. However, a report alleged that donations from Lord Alli covered expenses for a personal shopper, clothing, and alterations for Starmer’s wife, Victoria, both before and after Labour’s election victory in July.
The allegations have provided fodder for the Conservatives, who seized the opportunity to demand an investigation into Starmer’s relationship with Lord Alli. Despite the outcry, the parliamentary commissioner confirmed on Monday evening that no investigation into Starmer would be pursued over the donations.
While speaking from Rome, Starmer said it would be “pushing it a bit far” to forbid him from receiving hospitality gifts. He referenced his fondness for Arsenal football games to illustrate the point.
“I’m a massive Arsenal fan. I can’t go into the stands because of security reasons. Therefore, if I don’t accept a gift of hospitality, I can’t go to a game. You could say: ‘Well, bad luck.’
That’s why gifts have to be registered. But, you know, never going to an Arsenal game again because I can’t accept hospitality is pushing it a bit far.”
Keir Starmer
In addressing concerns about whether taxpayers should fund MPs’ clothing, Starmer explained, “All MPs get gifts. The rules then say, over a certain value, you’ve got to declare the gifts, so everybody can see what it was, how much it was, who it came from, and so that you and others can ask questions about it. That’s a good framework. It’s the right framework.”
Investigation Ruled Out by Authorities
Starmer went on to reveal that his team sought advice on following proper protocols for gifts.
“That’s why I asked my team to make sure we’re complying with the framework, which is why they reached out for advice on what to do in this situation. When they got further advice, they made the declaration. I think it’s really important everybody else follows the rules.”
Keir Starmer
Downing Street also confirmed it consulted authorities regarding declarations and has remained in compliance. However, it noted that additional items were declared after further inquiries this month. Despite this, Starmer stands firm in his position that there was no wrongdoing.
On a separate issue, the Prime Minister expressed anger over the release of prisoners under his government’s early release program, a consequence of prison overcrowding.
Starmer blamed his predecessor, Rishi Sunak, for exacerbating the crisis, which has led to “some pretty hard questions” for his administration.
“I spent five years prosecuting and putting people in prison, and being forced to release people who should be in prison makes me angry. But the choice was pretty simple. We’d got to the point where prisons were so full we had the choice between releasing people in the way that we’ve done it, or not being able to arrest people and put them in prison.”
Keir Starmer
Starmer condemned the public celebrations that greeted the early release of prisoners, saying, “So, angry is what I feel. As I did when I was in Cobra, literally having to plot how many prison places we had, in order to assess whether we could contain the disorder. No prime minister should be in that position.”
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