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Emily Thornberry has defended Sir Keir Starmer in the growing row surrounding the prime minister after he and his wife accepted thousands of pounds\u2019 worth of freebies.<\/p>\n
Sir Keir, who has a salary of around \u00a3160,000, has faced criticism after it emerged he was late to declare a donation by a Labour peer who paid for dresses for his wife Victoria.<\/p>\n
Lord Waheed Alli bought more than \u00a35,000 worth of clothes for Lady Victoria Starmer. He has also given Sir Keir \u00a318,685 of work clothes and several pairs of glasses.<\/p>\n
It also emerged today that Lady Starmer accepted two free tickets worth hundreds of pounds each to Taylor Swift\u2019s Eras Tour.<\/p>\n
But defending the prime minister, Ms Thornberry said: \u201cThese are things that happen all the time in politics,\u201d questioning whether the public expects the prime minister to \u201ctake a packed lunch\u201d to a state dinner at Buckingham Palace.<\/p>\n
Sir Keir Starmer has faced questions over his initial failure to register on time clothing given to Lady Starmer by a prominent party donor (PA Wire)Asked whether it was appropriate for Lady Starmer to receive dresses as donations from Lord Alli, the former shadow attorney general said: \u201cI think there is something about the public (wanting) politicians to be perfect, but they also want them to be human.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so they want us to be turned out perfectly, and not just us, our partners as well. And if you\u2019re the wife of a prime minister, you have to look absolutely splendid at every moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI suppose you have to think about the principle and think well, how do you apply it, and where does it end? Because if you\u2019re not to take anything in terms of any donation from anyone, then what happens if he goes to Buckingham Palace for a state dinner? Is he supposed to take a packed lunch?\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking to Sky News, the current chair of the foreign affairs committee and MP for Islington South and Finsbury, added: \u201cThese are things that happen all the time in politics, it seems to me that so long as there\u2019s no undue influence. So long as the money has been declared, then this is the way the system is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry defended Sir Keir in interviews on Wednesday morning (PA Wire)Wes Streeting also joked he had been \u201couted as a Swiftie\u201d as he defended was freebies for ministers, following reports he had accepted free tickets to the superstar\u2019s concert. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think the important thing is transparency and accountability, and there are no conflicts of interest. That\u2019s why we have a transparent system,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
Sir Keir has faced questions over the \u00a35,000 donation from Lord Alli, which he initially failed to put on his register of interests. A Number 10 spokesperson said it was an oversight which was corrected after it “sought advice from the authorities on coming to office”.<\/p>\n
The peer, a leading Labour donor, received a high-level security pass for Downing Street in the weeks after the election and made a donation to Sir Keir of accommodation over several weeks, worth more than \u00a320,000.<\/p>\n
Tory chairman Andrew Griffith asked the parliamentary standards commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, to investigate a potential breach of the rules.<\/p>\n
But Downing Street has since confirmed that the commissioner has decided not to investigate.<\/p>\n
Tory chairman Andrew Griffith asked the parliamentary standards commissioner to investigate a potential breach of the rules, but this was declined (Justin Tallis\/PA Wire)Sir Keir said it is \u201cvery important\u201d to him that the rules are followed, adding: “I\u2019ve always said that. I said that before the election. I reinforced it after the election.<\/p>\n
“And that\u2019s why shortly after the election, my team reached out for advice on what declarations should be made so it\u2019s in accordance with the rules.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cabinet minister Dame Angela Eagle struggled to defend the prime minister on Tuesday, telling Times Radio she is \u201cnot responsible for decisions the prime minister makes\u201d.<\/p>\n
She said she had no opinion on the issue, telling the presenter to \u201cask him yourself\u201d.<\/p>\n
When it was pointed out to her that Labour previously attacked Boris Johnson for using donors to \u201cfund his luxury wallpaper habit\u201d, Dame Angela hit back: \u201cOK, you\u2019ve had your rant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, over the weekend, foreign secretary David Lammy said donations were accepted so the Labour leader and his wife could \u201clook their best\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailGet our free View from Westminster email Emily Thornberry has defended Sir Keir Starmer in the growing row surrounding the prime minister after he and his wife accepted thousands of pounds\u2019 worth of freebies. Sir […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n