The prime minister has maintained his team had “reached out for advice on what declaration should be made” and that “rules are being followed”…reports Asian Lite News
Parliament’s standards watchdog will not investigate whether Keir Starmer broke rules by not declaring clothes gifted to his wife by Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli, Downing Street has said.
The Conservatives had asked the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg to investigate why gifts covering a personal shopper and clothing alterations were not initially declared in the MPs’ register of interests.
The prime minister has maintained his team had “reached out for advice on what declaration should be made” and that “rules are being followed”.
While Greenberg has yet to comment, Downing Street confirmed on Monday that he would not pursue an investigation.
The gifts, from Labour donor Lord Alli, included clothes and alterations for Sir Keir’s wife Victoria, given before and after Labour’s election victory in July. MPs are required to declare gifts within 28 days.
The Sunday Times reported that the prime minister approached the parliamentary authorities on Tuesday to make a late declaration after being given updated advice on what needed to be registered. Starmer said it was important that “we have transparency”.
“And that’s why, shortly after the election, my team reached out for advice on what declaration should be made, so it’s in accordance with the rules,” he said. “They then sought out for further advice more recently, as a result of which they made the relevant declarations.”
Lord Alli, a regular donor to the Labour leader, has been at the centre of a row after it emerged in August he had been given a temporary Downing Street security pass despite having no formal government role.
The TV executive bought clothes and glasses for Starmer, which have been listed on his entry on the register of MPs’ interests. Most recently, the prime minister declared that Lord Alli had provided him with accommodation for several weeks, which is recorded as being worth more than £20,000.
In a letter to Greenberg, Conservative shadow minister Andrew Griffith called for an investigation into Sir Keir’s “failure to declare”.
The letter states: “There must be a full investigation into this scandal given this is not the first instance of the prime minister failing to declare donations and abiding by parliamentary rules.”
The prime minister was previously referred to the parliamentary standards commissioner in 2022, when he was found to have been late in registering eight interests, including tickets to football matches and the sale of a plot of land.
Griffith said: “It beggars belief that the prime minister thinks it’s acceptable that pensioners on £13,000 a year can afford to heat their home when he earns 12 times that but apparently can’t afford to clothe himself or his wife.
“While his top team want a taxpayer-funded clothes budget to look sharp, people across the country are forced to make tough choices in the face of Labour’s damaging decisions.
“Labour promised change, but in 10 short weeks all they’ve delivered is a change of clothes for themselves. Labour have made the political choice to put themselves and their union paymasters before the most vulnerable.”
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