It does feel a lot like right wingers and aggy Corbynite types just throwing any old **** at the wall to build this ‘they’re all the same’ narrative which is clearly not true. So what if his kid studied at a donor’s flat? I didn’t pay for any of that. I did pay for a small part of Hancock’s dog’s uncle founding a PPE company and being given a huge contract the next day.
When I was training to be a Chartered Accountant - with auditing being the ‘bread and butter’ of the Profession (particularly in those days) - it was drummed into us that an Auditor not only has to be independent but also must be seen to be independent.I'm uncomfortable with Starmer taking gifts of clothes and glasses, but he's said that won't happen any more, so better late than never in that regard. Taking up an offer to use the Directors' box at Arsenal seems perfectly fine to me and his son using someone's flat for study seems like a non-story. The whole thing has been whipped up by the right wing press, and, sadly, the broadcast media have taken up the story to the point that no government representative can give an interview without being asked about it. I think Starmer has been rather naive and foolish in not realising that he and his party would be held to standards way higher than those applied to the Tories (I expect them to be better, too), but I don't believe for a moment that there's anything corrupt here - in stark contrast to the real government corruption that has happened in recent years. Boris Johnson will be laughing up his sleeve.
Because he disclosed everything and it's not corruption or sleaze. You lot are just desperate to smear him with anything you can. The Telegraph are making up new stories on a daily basis, they're not taking the Tories losing well
When I was training to be a Chartered Accountant - with auditing being the ‘bread and butter’ of the Profession (particularly in those days) - it was drummed into us that an Auditor not only has to be independent but also must be seen to be independent.
In other words/in some respects, perception.
I think that’s the issue here, after all the pontificating that Labour did about sleaze, and the claims that a future Labour Government would be all about serving the Country, these revelations are bound to raise eyebrows.
Hopefully, lessons have been learned and we can move on.
"Lessons have been learned" is the most fatuous phrase in widespread use because lessons are never learned, it's rolled out relentlessly whenever there's a disaster / murder / atrocity / political cock-up by those who haven't done their jobs properly in the hope they can avoid the consequences that are rarely enacted.
If Starmer had any credibility as more and more revelations are revealed he'd pay back the cost of all the 'largesse' he's received and draw a line under the whole saga rather than repeatedly say "It's in the rules". His lack of judgement is truly awful...
"Lessons have been learned" is the most fatuous phrase in widespread use because lessons are never learned, it's rolled out relentlessly whenever there's a disaster / murder / atrocity / political cock-up by those who haven't done their jobs properly in the hope they can avoid the consequences that are rarely enacted.
If Starmer had any credibility as more and more revelations are revealed he'd pay back the cost of all the 'largesse' he's received and draw a line under the whole saga rather than repeatedly say "It's in the rules". His lack of judgement is truly awful...
He did nothing wrong.
If he paid back the cost of these gifts/donations then what? Would it stop the gurning Reform voters/Tories from crying about Labour winning every day? Nope. He's done what needed to be done, him being in power is the will of the people.
Has everyone forgotten Cameron's austerity already? Or Johnson's freebies and lies? Or Liz Truss crashing the economy? Or Covid corruption?
Ten weeks ffs. Let's at least see what's in the budget next month or perhaps where we are in a year's time (or better, five years' time) before writing off Starmer's government.
When did you become the leader writer for the Telegraph?
Agree 100% that Lessons have been learned is a pretty fatuous phrase."Lessons have been learned" is the most fatuous phrase in widespread use because lessons are never learned, it's rolled out relentlessly whenever there's a disaster / murder / atrocity / political cock-up by those who haven't done their jobs properly in the hope they can avoid the consequences that are rarely enacted.
If Starmer had any credibility as more and more revelations are revealed he'd pay back the cost of all the 'largesse' he's received and draw a line under the whole saga rather than repeatedly say "It's in the rules". His lack of judgement is truly awful...

I’ll say this for Kier Starmer.
He’s brilliant at not looking like someone who has spent £32k on clothes in the last 12 months. I guess he needs a donated flat to store it all in. I bet the designers of his stuff are begging him not to reveal they made his whistles.
But he hasn’t broken any rules, so that’s fine.
Trust.
Nasrallah taken out, one less maniac in the World
Hopefully will lead to a de-escalation in Lebanon