Keir Starmer caught in 'cronyism' dispute after millionaire TV mogul Waheed Ali given 'unrestricted' access to No.10
25 August 2024, 15:24
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has found himself caught up in cronyism row, after it was reported that a millionaire TV mogul who donated half a million pounds to the Labour party was given "unrestricted" access to Downing Street.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Lord Waheed Alli is the first openly gay peer in the House of Lords and was granted a security pass to Number 10, giving him unrestricted access.
Lord Alli led the fundraising charge for the Labour Party in the follow up to the election, and has made donations of thousands of pounds, as well as providing clothes and accommodation for Sir Keir.
But according to The Sunday Times, this access to Downing Street has prompted suspicion.
It's unusual for donors to have access to Number 10, because this is usually only given to civil servants, advisers and close family members of the Prime Minister.
A civil service source said the reasoning behind granting him a pass remains unknown.
When speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said that, while Lord Alli may have been given a pass "for a short time" following the election, he no longer has one.
He said: "I don't think it's unusual for people to have passes to attend political meetings if they need to do so.
"I don't think he's got the pass now but he may have had one in the past."
Meanwhile, there are rows about jobs in the Civil Service being given to Labour donors.
For example, Ian Corfield, who has donated £20,000 to the Labour Party over the past ten years, including £5,000 to Chancellor Rachel Reeves was given a temporary job as the Treasury's director of investment.
Yesterday, it became apparent that Mr Corfield would be working as an unpaid adviser instead of a salaried civil servant.
The Conservatives have urged the Prime Minister's ethics adviser to investigate the appointment.
