Sir Keir Starmer declares gifts and freebies totalling more than £100,000 - the highest of any MP

18 September 2024, 14:48 | Updated: 19 September 2024, 09:52

Sir Keir Starmer has received substantially more freebies than any other MP since becoming Labour leader, Sky News can reveal.

Government officials are worried the prime minister's willingness to accept hospitality to go to football matches could amount to a conflict of interest given plans to overhaul the sport's regulator which many clubs oppose.

The prime minister received two-and-a-half times more gifts and hospitality than the next MP, according to a league table compiled as part of Sky News' Westminster Accounts project - which traces how money flows through our political system.

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Since December 2019, the PM received £107,145 in gifts, benefits, and hospitality - a specific category in parliament's register of MPs' interests.

The next highest in the league table is the Commons leader Lucy Powell on £40,289, while the prime minister received gifts roughly equivalent to the next five MPs combined.

The table does not account for those who received help with legal fees.

'It's nuts'

One member of the government called the situation "nuts" and said the freebies "should be banned".

Sky News has also learnt that officials are warning the prime minister could be opening himself up to inappropriate lobbying by saying he will continue going to football games.

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Ministers are usually told to avoid hospitality from any organisation connected to an ongoing government regulatory decision, and the future of a football regulator is under consideration at the moment.

The Premier League is one of the biggest donors of hospitality, and Sir Keir has received almost £40,000 in football tickets.

Sir Keir declared £12,588 of gifts from the Premier League, which is lobbying against a football regulator; including four Taylor Swift tickets during the election campaign worth £4,000; two Euros finals tickets costing £1,628; and numerous tickets spanning several Arsenal matches costing well over £6,000 in total.

How to explore the Westminster Accounts

PM defiant in face of criticism

Sir Keir ignored warnings from some in his senior team that the issue of freebies could cause him political damage while in opposition.

Hostile media coverage focusing on his gifts prompted an internal discussion amongst his team in LOTO, the leader's opposition office. However he justified continuing the practice because accepting such gifts is within the rules.

Senior Labour figures are incandescent that the story about freebies for the Starmer family has dragged on for days, and ministers going out with different and often contradictory explanations.

They blame a lack of political grip on the operation, intensifying pressure on Sir Keir's chief of staff Sue Gray, and sparking private calls for her to be sidelined or sacked.

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Most of Sir Keir's gifts and hospitality - £86,708 of the £107,145 - were accepted in the last parliament, but £20,437 was declared in this parliament for accommodation that straddles the two periods.

The biggest donor of gifts and hospitality is Labour peer Waheed Alli, who gave the equivalent of £39,122.

These donations included an unspecified donation of accommodation worth £20,437, "work clothing" worth £16,200, and multiple pairs of glasses equivalent to £2,485.

In private discussions in opposition, Sir Keir previously justified his right to take football tickets because it did not pose a conflict of interest, but one of those involved in the discussions conceded they did not consider the policy

Sir Keir defended his right to continue to take football freebies earlier this week, arguing there would be no other way he could get to matches because of security concerns about the use of his regular seat at Arsenal.

"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," he said.

This comes on a bleak day for Sir Keir after the BBC revealed that his chief of staff Sue Gray is paid more than £170,000 which is higher than the PM. Ms Gray was the last government's ethics chief and even Starmer's allies are incandescent that she has not put a stop to this practice.

The is embarrassing for Sir Keir after he previously criticised the scale of Dominic Cummings' salary, who was Boris Johnson's chief of staff.

The government does not deny the salary level but insists she did not set the level of her salary herself - which is higher than her predecessor

However this has been challenged for figures familiar with the process. They said successive chiefs of staff who preceded Ms Gray had to agree recommendations on advisor pay and advise on the decisions made by ministers.

Sky News asked Number 10 whether football donations were a conflict of interest and about the pre-election discussions about the appropriateness of accepting hospitality.

We also asked for comment on the fact the PM is the top of the MPs league table for gifts and hospitality, excluding legal donations. They did not comment.

(c) Sky News 2024: Sir Keir Starmer declares gifts and freebies totalling more than £100,000 - the highest of any MP