Starmer to no longer accept donations to pay for clothes, Sky News understands
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Sir Keir Starmer will no longer accept donations in the future to pay for clothes, Sky News understands.
Rachel Reeves and Angela Rayner also announced they would take the same approach moving forward.
The decision by the prime minister, chancellor and deputy prime minister follows scrutiny of Sir Keir Starmer and his wife for accepting donations.
The prime minister has accepted work clothing donations worth £16,200, and multiple pairs of glasses, to the value of £2,485.
Ms Rayner has accepted clothing donations too, to the value of £2,230.
The chancellor has not accepted any such donations, according to the MPs’ register of interests.
Sky News revealed the scale of Sir Keir’s donations this week as part of our Westminster Accounts investigation.
Mr Starmer was found to have received substantially more freebies than any other MP as his total in gifts, benefits, and hospitality topped £100,000 since December 2019.
This had all been declared as per the rules but backbench MPs had been expressing concern that the government’s rhetoric of tough decisions on the economy jars with the image of a prime minister accepting freebies.
The row started over the weekend with controversy over Sir Keir’s wife’s clothes.
Jess Phillips – a Home Office minister who has also been vastly critical of the Tories – earlier today said she is “satisfied with his [Mr Starmer’s] explanation” of why he has taken the freebies.
She said if he “wasn’t doing a good job in our country” and “set in train loads of things to change” – such as the railways, green investment, and tackling violence against women and girls, then she “would be more concerned”.
Ms Phillips, minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls, went on to say that it’s not that she doesn’t think it’s important, but added: “I haven’t had a single email about it.
“I have had lots of emails about people not being able to get on a housing list.”
Challenged on the fact that the optics look bad having just taken away the winter fuel allowance from pensioners, Ms Phillips said these are “completely separate things”.
“And had he never been to watch the Arsenal, there would still be a £22bn black hole that had to be paid for.”
She added: “All I can say is I’m absolutely knackered trying to make things better.”
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