Starmer will continue to accept gifts from Labour peers despite row over clothing donations

Sir Keir Starmer has indicated that he will continue to accept gifts from Labour peer Lord Alli despite strong reactions to his wife's clothing.

The Prime Minister insisted there was a “massive difference between declarations and corruption” when faced with questions about his alleged failure to register high-quality clothing given to Lady Starmer by the prominent party donor.

Speaking to journalists accompanying him on his visit to Rome, Sir Keir rejected the idea that taxpayers should fund such expenses for prime ministers and their spouses, but said it was “a bit of a stretch” to deny him the right to accept certain forms of hospitality.

He gave the example of football tickets, which the Prime Minister is known to accept as gifts. He said: “I'm a huge Arsenal fan. For security reasons I can't go into the stands, so if I don't accept a gift, I can't go to a game. You could say, 'Well, tough 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 going a bit too far.”

This happened in the wake of a dispute over Sir Keir's alleged breach of parliamentary rules by failing to declare clothing donations for his wife Lady Starmer within the required time limit.

The Tories called for a full investigation into the Starmers' links to Lord Alli and described the acceptance of luxury gifts as “implausible” given the Labour government's decision to cut winter heating allowances for all but the poorest pensioners in the country.

The Sunday Times reported that the donations covered the cost of a personal shopper, clothing and alterations for Lady Starmer both before and after Labour's election victory in July.

Members of Parliament are required to register gifts and donations within 28 days.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy later suggested that Sir Keir and his wife Victoria should accept such gifts in order to “look good” on behalf of the country and rely on donations when other countries provide generous taxpayer-funded budgets for clothing their politicians.

Asked whether British taxpayers should foot the bill for such expenditure, the Prime Minister said: “I certainly don't think we should have a budget for this at taxpayers' expense. As far as gifts of any kind are concerned – there are different kinds of gifts – the rules provide the framework.”

“All MPs receive gifts. The rules say that gifts above a certain value have to be declared so that everyone 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.”

“So I asked my team to make sure we were within the framework. So they asked for advice on what to do in this situation. When they got further advice, they made the statement. I think it's really important that everyone else follows the rules.”

Asked whether he would consider introducing an anti-corruption adviser, similar to the role former MP John Penrose held under the Tories between 2017 and 2022, Sir Keir replied: “Well, there is a huge difference between explanations and corruption.

“Declarations are about making statements so that you and everyone else can see that statements have been properly made.

“I haven’t looked at this specific issue yet, but I’ll be happy to look into it and get back to you at a later date.”

10 Downing Street has said it has approached the authorities on the issue of declarations and believes it has acted in accordance with the rules. “However, following further consultations this month, we have clarified further points.”

In a letter to Daniel Greenberg CB, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, a Conservative MP called for an investigation into Sir Keir's “failure to provide an explanation”.

The letter states: “It was then reported in August that Lord Alli had been given a temporary security pass to Downing Street, despite holding no official government role. It was reported that he had played an active role in the selection of Cabinet (and other) members.

“It has now emerged that Sir Keir Starmer simultaneously failed to declare a substantial gift of designer clothing, tailoring and a personal shopper that Lord Alli had bought for his wife, either before or after the general election on 4 July.”

The letter also states: “This scandal must be fully investigated as this is not the first case of the Prime Minister failing to declare donations and abiding by parliamentary rules.”

Conservative MP Andrew Griffith said: “It is hard to believe that the Prime Minister thinks it is acceptable for pensioners on £13,000 a year to be able to afford to heat their homes, while he himself earns 12 times that amount but apparently cannot even afford to buy the necessary clothing for himself and his wife.”

“While his top team are trying to look good with a taxpayer-funded clothing budget, people across the country are being forced to make difficult choices in the face of damaging decisions by the Labour Party.”