Keir Starmer pays back over £6,000 of gifts received since becoming Prime Minister amid donations row

2 October 2024, 16:49 | Updated: 2 October 2024, 17:26

Keir Starmer has paid back several thousand pounds of gifts he has received since becoming Prime Minister.

The PM is now paying for six Taylor Swift tickets, four tickets to the races and a clothing rental agreement with a designer for his wife.

It comes after a row over donations made to Starmer and other top Labour politicians over donations they received.

Starmer came to power in July with a promise to lead a "government of service".

The donations - although Labour says all were declared within the rules- have sparked a backlash, particularly against a backdrop of cuts to the winter fuel payment.

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Speaking at a news conference in Brussels following talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Starmer said it was the "right" thing to do.

He said: "We came in as a government of change. We are now going to bring forward principles for donations.

"Until now, politicians have used their best individual judgement on a case-by-case basis."

Given the row that's engulfed his government, he said it's clear "we need some principles" on the "general application" of rules on donations.

"Until those are in place, it was right for me to make those repayments," he added.

A Downing Street spokesperson earlier said: "The prime minister 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 prime minister has paid for several entries on his own register. 

"This will appear in the next register of members' interests."

However, Sir Keir has also accepted a further £6,134 in "clothing and personal support" for Lady Starmer in June, from prominent Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli, according to the latest register of interests published on Wednesday.

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That declaration is likely to come under scrutiny after it emerged earlier on Wednesday that the peer is under investigation by Parliament's standards watchdog over a potential breach of the members' code of conduct.

The Lords' commissioner is looking at an "alleged non-registration of interests" by the former media executive.

The Prime Minister also took £920 from Tottenham Hotspur stadium for two tickets to the north London derby in September, and £1,000 from Arsenal FC for a game in August, according to the register.

He has previously defended his decision to accept hospitality in order to attend football matches, citing security concerns which prevent him from watching from the stands without a large and expensive police presence.