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Rachel Reeves accepts donations appear ‘a little bit odd’ - as she admits accepting gifted family holiday to Cornwall
23 September 2024, 08:29 | Updated: 23 September 2024, 09:54
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has told LBC that people may find the acceptance of donations "a little bit odd" - as she admitted taking her family on gifted holiday Cornwall.
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The Chancellor had previously declared accepting a gifted stay in a donor's holiday home, however, she has now admitted her family also benefitted from the trip.
According to the Register of Interests, Reeves accepted "the use of a holiday home for one week" to the value £1,400 from donor Richard Parker - the current mayor of the West Midlands.
She previously failed to admit her family also benefitted from the West Country stay.
It comes as Conservative leadership candidate Robert Jenrick labelled the acceptance of such gifts "appalling".
Reeves will promise "a Budget to rebuild Britain" when she delivers her speech to the Labour conference later.
However, it risks being overshadowed by the ongoing row over gifts from party donors and growing discontent over the scrapping of winter fuel payments.
On Monday morning, she told Nick Ferrari the government was "getting a grip" of public finances but has also warned of "difficult decisions" ahead.
Watch Again: Nick Ferrari is joined by Chancellor Rachel Reeves | 23/09/24
The row into donations comes after reports she took £7,500 from a donor for clothing from January 2023 to May 2024.
Reeves said an "old friend" of hers wanted to support her as shadow Chancellor wanted to support her looking "smart and well turned out".
"I can understand why people think it's a little bit odd," she added.
She reiterated it is not something she plans to do as Chancellor.
She added politics relies on donations and that the alternative is asking the tax payer to fund election campaigns, which she said was "not appropriate".
Robert Jenrick, currently leading the Conservative leadership race, has criticised the Chancellor for the donations and said the scandal is "appalling".
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On the second anniversary of the Truss mini budget, she reiterated the government had inherited a dire financial situation from previous administrations, such as the £22bn black hole.
"Our government has been plagued in the last few years by choas and instability," she said.
"Bringing stability back is the foundation on which a successful economy has to be built".
Ferrari also asked if the debate being moved from Monday to the final morning of the conference was Labour "running scared of this vote taking place prior to the Prime Minister's address".
She said: "I don't know the situation about when votes take place, but if delegates want to vote on this, they will get a vote on this.
"I don't know the timing of the vote, but we've already had a vote in Parliament where it was overwhelmingly passed.
"This isn't the decision that I wanted to make. It wasn't a decision that I expected to make, but given the state of the public finances that I inherited, I think it was right to restrict the winter fuel payment to the poorest pensioners, and to make sure that all of the pensioners entitled to it are getting it."
The Prime Minister received more than £16,000 for clothes and glasses from Lord Waheed Alli, a Labour party donor, records show.
Victoria Starmer also received free clothing, as well as a personal shopper and alterations, which her husband initially failed to declare.
It then emerged that, after Labour came to power, Lord Alli got a temporary Downing Street security pass despite having no formal government role.
Then on Friday, it was reported Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves received thousands of donations for clothing, which was categorised as general office support.
On Friday, a Downing Street source confirmed they would no longer accept clothing donations.
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Chancellor Rachel Reeves also defended Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner's department for hiring a taxpayer-funded photographer.
Labour officials have denied reports that it amounted to recruiting a "vanity photographer" for the Deputy Prime Minister, something Ms Rayner had condemned in opposition.
And Ms Reeves insisted that all departments had communications budgets that they were able to use to promote their campaigns.
The Daily Mail reported that the Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary has hired a photographer to record her work.
It claimed she was the first Deputy Prime Minister to have hired such a member of staff.
But the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said the photographer had been hired to chronicle the work of the department, not just Ms Rayner.
"Many government departments employ official photographers to share the work of the department and ministers with the public," the department said.
"This is a civil service role and will be part of MHCLG's communications team."
