Nick Ferrari puts Cabinet Office Minister on the spot over who gave Downing Street pass to Labour donor

27 August 2024, 09:02 | Updated: 27 August 2024, 09:26

Nick Ferrari presses Ellie Reeves on Lord Alli's pass

By EJ Ward

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's efforts to distance his administration from the past 14 years of Conservative rule have been overshadowed by a growing controversy involving a prominent Labour donor.

As Sir Keir prepares to deliver a key speech on national renewal, questions have emerged about the granting of a security pass to Lord Alli, a major Labour benefactor, which threatens to undermine the Prime Minister's message of integrity and transparency.

The issue came to light when it was revealed that Lord Alli, a long-serving Labour peer and television tycoon, was given a security pass to Number 10 Downing Street shortly after Labour's election victory.

The peer, who has donated more than £500,000 to the party over the past two decades, also provided personal support to Sir Keir, including clothing and glasses.

In an interview with LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Cabinet Office Minister Ellie Reeves faced repeated questioning over who authorised the pass, with Ferrari pressing to know whether it was sanctioned by Sir Keir Starmer or Sue Gray, the newly appointed Cabinet Secretary.

Reeves, however, deflected the questions, stating that she was not involved in the process and assuring that "all rules were followed." She added that Lord Alli's pass was temporary and had since been revoked.

Ferrari continued to probe, highlighting the potential damage to Starmer's image as a leader committed to restoring trust in politics. "For the man who's seeking to restore trust in politics," Ferrari queried, "when he learned that a Labour millionaire gave him £20,000 for clothes and spectacles and then was in receipt of one of the security passes, how does that look?"

Reeves responded by reiterating her confidence in the procedures, but her reluctance to provide specific details left unanswered questions hanging in the air.

The timing of this controversy is particularly challenging for Sir Keir, who is set to address an audience in the Downing Street rose garden, where he will outline his vision for a "decade of national renewal."

In his speech, Starmer is expected to draw a parallel between his government’s task and the communities that came together to clean up after the summer's riots, promising to root out "14 years of rot" under the Conservatives.

Yet, the issue of Lord Alli’s pass could provide fodder for opposition criticism, with Conservative Party chairman Richard Fuller already dismissing Starmer’s speech as "nothing but a performative distraction" from Labour’s own issues.

Fuller accused Labour of being "engulfed in sleaze" just months into government, citing the Lord Alli affair as evidence that the party has failed to live up to its promises of public service.

As MPs return to Westminster, the controversy surrounding Lord Alli’s pass is likely to intensify scrutiny on Starmer’s administration.

While the Prime Minister has positioned his government as a break from the past, the questions raised in the LBC interview suggest that Labour may still be grappling with some of the same issues that have plagued previous administrations.

Sir Keir will need to address these concerns head-on in the coming days if he hopes to maintain the public’s trust and steer his government through the turbulent waters of political reform. The success of his message of unity and renewal may well depend on how convincingly he can navigate this latest challenge.