Donor Lord Alli will attend Labour conference in Liverpool this week

by · Mail Online

Lord Alli is attending the Labour conference in Liverpool amid the scrutiny of his donations to Sir Keir Starmer and other senior party figures.

The 59-year-old entrepreneur’s attendance was confirmed after he was seen at a conference event on Saturday night.

Lord Alli is Labour’s biggest donor - handing more than half-a-million pounds to the party since 2004. The donations include controversial gifts of clothes and spectacles to Sir Keir worth nearly £20,000.

He was given a temporary Downing Street security pass after Labour were elected - even though he held no formal job there.

Following criticism of the decision to hand Lord Alli the pass, further details of gifts to other senior Labour politicians have emerged, including more clothing for Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.

Lord Alli (pictured) is attending the Labour conference in Liverpool amid the scrutiny of his donations to Sir Keir Starmer and other senior party figures
The 59-year-old entrepreneur’s attendance was confirmed after he was seen at a conference event on Saturday night. Pictured: Delegates applaud inside the main auditorium on the first full day of conference on Saturday
Following criticism of the decision to hand Lord Alli the pass, further details of gifts to other senior Labour politicians have emerged, including more clothing for Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner (pictured at conference on Saturday)

He also allowed her to stay for five days in his lavish $2.5million (£1.8million) Manhattan apartment.

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The row has deepened yesterday as the Conservatives say she may have broken the rules by not admitting she was staying with former MP and her ex-boyfriend Sam Tarry.

But while she registered the trip, she failed to mention that Mr Tarry stayed with her, in what the Tories say is a breach of the House of Commons code of conduct.

She and Mr Tarry stayed in the apartment – which has a roof deck, courtyard and fitness suite – from December 29 to January 2 this year, The Sunday Times reported.

The building's website describes it as being at the heart of the theatre district with 'incredible views' over the Hudson river and New Jersey. The two-bedroom 1,300 sq ft property was lent to Ms Rayner by the Labour donor at the centre of the row over gifts to the PM and his wife.

Angela Rayner pictured with Sam Tarry in June 2022. She has been involved in a row for taking a break with him in a luxury Manhattan apartment owned by millionaire donor Lord Alli 
The Manhattan at sunrise as seen from the 86th floor observatory of the Empire State Building

She says that Lord Alli – who has given her more than £50,000 over the past four years – is primarily a personal friend but she chose to report the stay because he was also a donor to her political activities.

The parliamentary commissioner for standards investigates potential non-compliance with the MPs' code of conduct and can order members to update their register or issue an apology to the Commons.

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According to the parliamentary register of interests, Ms Rayner was given a flat as accommodation for five nights to enjoy a 'personal holiday' in New York.

The rules say MPs must declare foreign trips which they, or anyone connected to them, undertake if a donor pays for 'part or all' of it as a result of their 'parliamentary or political activities'.

Meanwhile Lord Alli also paid thousands of pounds towards a 40th birthday party for Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Lord Alli in making the donations.

His attendance at the conference, which runs until Wednesday, comes as the prime minister’s chief of staff, Sue Gray, chooses to avoid the annual event.

She has swerved the conference amid a row about her influence and pay packet, which at £170,000 is £3,000 more than Sir Keir’s.