Sir Keir Starmer has paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts received since becoming prime minister, Downing Street has said.
A scandal over freebies accepted by the Labour leader – including six Taylor Swift tickets – rocked the party within weeks of him entering Number 10.
So much so, that Labour MP for Canterbury, Rosie Duffield, becoming the first MP to jump ship since the General Election over the row.
Sir Keir and other Cabinet members – who vowed to ‘clean up’ British politics after 14 years of Tory rule – faced weeks of criticism for accepting tens of thousands of pounds worth of freebies from wealthy donors.
He has now decided to cover the cost of Taylor Swift tickets, four to the races and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: ‘The PM has now 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, he has paid for several entries on his own register. This will appear in the next register of members’ interests.’
Gifts paid for by the leader include four Taylor Swift tickets from Universal Music Group totalling £2,800, two from the Football Association at a cost of £598, and four to Doncaster Races from Arena Racing Corporation at £1,939.
An £839 clothing rental agreement with Edeline Lee, the designer worn by his wife to London Fashion Week, along with one hour of hair and makeup, was also paid for by him.
Sir Keir has also accepted a further £6,134 in ‘clothing and personal support’ for Lady Starmer in June, from prominent Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli, according to the latest register of interests published on Wednesday.
That declaration is likely to come under scrutiny after it emerged earlier today that the peer is under investigation by Parliament’s standards watchdog.
The Lords’ commissioner is looking at an ‘alleged non-registration of interests’ by the former media executive.
The PM also took £920 from Tottenham Hotspur stadium for tickets to the north London derby in September, and £1,000 from Arsenal FC for a game in August, according to the register.
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