Foreign Secretary David Lammy defends Sir Keir Starmer over donor's gifts to wife Lady Victoria

Since taking office as UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer has faced several challenges. These included navigating a post-pandemic world, dealing with economic difficulties, and leading the Labour Party through significant transitions. For instance, he was branded ‘ruthless’ after announcing a new cabinet in July 2024.

Despite his efforts, his term has also been clouded by controversies, with the latest involving a high-profile Labour donor, Lord Waheed Alli.

Keir and Victoria Starmer accused of breaking a key rule: ‘There must be a full investigation’

Starmer recently came under scrutiny for allegedly failing to declare a significant donation made for his wife, Victoria. The controversy stems from Lord Alli, a prominent Labour donor who has contributed over £500,000 to the party across two decades. According to Financial Times, Lord Alli provided Starmer’s wife with clothing worth £5,000, including a personal shopper and tailoring.

These items were given before and after Labour's electoral win in July 2024. Starmer has been accused of not reporting it promptly and, in doing so, he is accused of breaking a key parliamentary rule that requires MPs to declare donations and gifts within 28 days​.

The UK Prime Minister failed to disclose this on time as his party argued he did not need to declare gifts made to his wife. However, a ‘more recent’ advice sought by Starmer made him realise he was supposed to disclose them. Starmer said:

For me it’s really important that the rules are followed, that’s why I was very pleased my team reached out proactively, not once but twice, because it is very important that we have transparency.

The delayed reporting prompted the Conservative Party to demand a formal investigation into whether Starmer had breached parliamentary standards.

Tories wrote to the office of Daniel Greenberg, parliamentary commissioner for standards, and insisted an investigation should be made. The letter read:

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.

This comes as Starmer previously breached the MP code and failed to register eight interests on time in August 2022 when he was the leader of the opposition.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy defends Starmer

Amid the growing accusations, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has come to Starmer’s defence. Declining that this is an issue of lacking transparency, Lammy said:

The prime minister did declare funds that he received from Lord Alli, he’s then gone back to the parliamentary commissioner to further check details on some of those funds that have made their way to his wife.

So he has done that, and he is seeking to comply with the rules. So this is not an issue of transparency. He is attempting to be transparent.In an interview for the BBC, Lammy addressed the issue by highlighting how difficult it is for political leaders in the UK to maintain their image without relying on donations.

The 52-year-old went on to explain that relying on political donations for clothes is not unusual and said:

The truth is that successive prime ministers, unless you’re a billionaire like the last one, do rely on donations, political donations, so they can look their best, both in the hope of representing the country, if you’re in the opposition, or indeed as prime minister.

He pointed out that unlike the US, where the president and first lady have taxpayer-funded wardrobes, UK leaders do not receive the same kind of financial support for their public appearances.

Lord Waheed Alli's donations

This is not the first of Lord Waheed Alli's donations that have put the spotlight on the Prime Minister. It was revealed that Sir Kier Starmer also accepted £20,000 in accommodation costs from the Lord.

As reported by Sky News, Starmer's register of interests clearly states that Lord Alli had provided him and his family with accommodation worth £20,437 from 29 May to 13 July. Since the information came to light, the Labour leader has vehemently stood his ground, saying that he took the decision as a father.

Indeed, Starmer's 16-year-old son was studying for the GCSEs when Rishi Sunak called the snap elections on 22 May. As a result, the Prime Minister promised him that they would find a place to stay without distractions.

Keir explained:

Somebody then offered me accommodation where we could do that, and I took it up. And it was the right thing to do. It didn't cost the taxpayer a penny.

He told BBC 5 Live that what 'sits behind these are human explanations'.

Unfortunately for Keir Starmer, his explanation was not enough. Now both he and the Labour party are under pressure over gifts and donations they have received, and it has now been dubbed the 'freebies controversy'.

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Sources used:

Financial Times: Watchdog rejects calls to probe Keir Starmer’s failure to declare free clothing

BBC: Starmer may have broken rules over donor's gifts to wife

The Guardian: David Lammy: PMs and partners rely on donors to help them ‘look their best’