Sir Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner, and Rachel Reeves will no longer accept gifts of clothing as Labour scrambles to smooth over the freebies row ahead of the party’s national conference this weekend.
No10 sources confirmed the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor would not be accepting gifts in the future.
The decision comes amid growing scrutiny over previous gifts and donations, particularly to Starmer, who has reportedly received more than £100,000 in freebies.
The Prime Minister has accepted work clothing donations worth £16,200 and multiple pairs of glasses valued at £2,485.
Rayner has also received clothing donations totalling at least £2,230.
Reeves is understood to have received £7,500 from donor Juliet Rosenfeld for clothing since last year.
The move aims to address concerns about politicians’ lifestyles differing from the public’s, especially as Labour faces criticism over plans to cut Winter Fuel Payments for pensioners.
The announcement comes just days before the Labour’s 2024 national conference in Liverpool, where the party leadership hopes to reset the narrative and focus on their policy agenda.
Former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell has criticised the gift-giving practice, stating that early Labour leaders would have been surprised to see Starmer “expensively clothed by rich sponsors”.
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Labour’s political opponents have also attacked those involved with the Conservative Party accusing Starmer and his team of hypocrisy, stating they have “accepted thousands of pounds in freebie clothes whilst simultaneously consigning 10 million pensioners to a cold and hard winter”.
The SNP’s work and pensions spokesperson, Kirsty Blackman, said voters were promised change but instead got “the worst excesses of the Tories on sleaze, austerity cuts, and cronyism”.
Starmer has defended accepting the gifts, particularly regarding football matches, stating that without hospitality, he couldn’t attend games due to security concerns.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy addressed the controversy, emphasising the government’s commitment to transparency and aligning with public priorities. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, she said: “We don’t want people to believe that we are living very different lives from them.
“Most people who go into politics, of all political parties, are ordinary people who want to make people’s lives better.
“It is important to us that people know that that is what we are as a Government and that we have their priorities absolutely up front and centre of ours.
“The country’s priorities are our priorities.”