What are the freebies Keir Starmer is paying back at a cost of £6,000?

by · Mail Online

Sir Keir Starmer has stumped up more than £6,000 to pay back freebies he has received since entering Number 10.

Amid a fierce row over his and other senior Labour ministers' acceptance of gifts, the PM has revealed he will now cover the costs of tickets and other hospitality.

But Sir Keir is not paying back all the freebies he has received since taking office and will continue to accept donated football tickets.

The PM has previously argued that, while he continues to have a season ticket at Arsenal, he has been told it is unsafe for him to sit in his normal seats in the stands without a vastly expensive police presence.

The north London club will instead make arrangements for Sir Keir to watch matches from elsewhere - such as corporate hospitality seats - whenever he attends games.

Here's a full list of the freebies Sir Keir is paying back:

  • Four tickets and hospitality to see Taylor Swift from Univeral Music Group. Cost: £2,800;
  • Two tickets and hospitality to see Taylor Swift from the Football Association, which were offered to and accepted by family members. Cost: £598;
  • Four tickets and hospitality at Doncaster Races from Arena Racing Corporation. Cost: £1,936;
  • Loan of clothing to Sir Keir's wife, Victoria, on multiple occasions by designer Edeline Lee as well as single use of a hair and makeup artist. Cost: £839.52.

And here's what Sir Keir is not paying back:

  • Two tickets and hospitality to see Arsenal vs Wolves on 17 August. Cost: £1,000;
  • Two tickets and hospitality to see Tottenham vs Arsenal on 15 September. Cost: £920.
Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria attended a Taylor Swift gig at Wembley Stadium in June
The Prime Minister was pictured celebrating Arsenal's second goal in their 2-0 win over Wolves on August 17
The PM and Lady Starmer were pictured at Doncaster Racecourse on September 14
Sir Keir attended Arsenal's win over Tottenham on September 15 with Foreign Secretary David Lammy
Lady Starmer wore an Edeline Lee outfit at the designer's event during London Fashion Week on September 16
The PM is not returning the tens of thousand of pounds' worth of lavish gifts he received from Labour peer Lord Waheed Alli prior to the general election

The PM is also not returning the tens of thousand of pounds' worth of lavish gifts he received from Labour peer Lord Waheed Alli prior to the general election.

This includes £16,200 for 'work clothing', £2,485 for 'multiple pairs of glasses', and £6,134 in 'clothing and personal support' for Lady Starmer.

There has been close scrutiny of Lord Alli's links to Sir Keir after it emerged the Labour peer was given a No10 pass shortly after the party's election win, despite seemingly not having a Government role.

His pass has since been handed back but Sir Keir has continued to be dogged by the row dubbed as 'passes for glasses'.

Sir Keir yesterday said it was 'right' for him to repay some of the freebies he has received while new principles for ministers accepting gifts are drawn up.

Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, the PM said: 'We came in as a Government of change.

'We are now going to bring forward principles for donations, because, until now, politicians have used their best individual judgment on a case-by-case basis.

'I think we need some principles of general application. So, I took the position that until the principles are in place it was right for me to make those repayments.'

Pressed on whether the repayments were an 'admission' that he was wrong to accept the freebies, he said: 'I can't say more about it.'

Asked a third time, he said: 'I can't add anything more to what I've said.' 

A Downing Street spokesperson said: 'The PM 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 PM has paid for several entries on his own register. This will appear in the next register of members' interests.'