Off Topic The Politics Thread
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****ing hell
There's desperate then there's whatever the **** you lot are. Not sure there's a word in the dictionary yet, keep up your efforts and you might make it next year
****ing hell
There's desperate then there's whatever the **** you lot are. Not sure there's a word in the dictionary yet, keep up your efforts and you might make it next year
I bet Starmer has more than one shirt.
He probably forgot to put the toilet seat down once a few years ago
We need Fartrage in charge asap to Make Britian Great Again.
****ing hell
There's desperate then there's whatever the **** you lot are. Not sure there's a word in the dictionary yet, keep up your efforts and you might make it next year
Funny how you lot on the left get so defensive and upset when questions are asked about the freebies that your leaders grab when in power but you get so indignant when the Tories did exactly the same thing and you lot want to call it out..... Easy to say what you want when in opposition but totally different when in power......
A fast pass on a waterslide? When all security are involved?
Boris got £100ks of freebies and gave tax breaks/avoidance to his donors. Where is your proof that Starmer's donors got anything? Did the waterslide guy get a 5€ tip or an ice cream?
I don't remember getting upset about Lizzie getting a fast past on the water slide? I do remember the Tories giving billions away to their mates/donors. Along with JCB guy (I think?) getting away with a £500M tax bill swerve
It's the optics that have caused Starmer all the problems that he finds himself in...... the facts about the freebies are there for all to see.... as a lawyer he hasn't broken any rules but it doesn't look good and the British public aren't fools......
The left made huge political capital out of Johnson's free loading, Starmer was the chief protagonist.... now the boot is on the other foot and the left don't like it...... simples.....
So you accept that he hasn't broken any rules. I agree that accepting freebies doesn't look great, but to equate this to the wholesale corruption under the Tories is laughable.
Not denying what the Tories did..... but Starmer and Co came into power professing to be whiter than white, when in reality they're no better when it comes to freebies than the previous lot..... they're all grifters....
I know it suits you lot to say that, but there's absolutely no comparison. Starmer, foolishly, has accepted a few freebies. Under the Tories there was outright corruption.
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only a few freebies
he has been gifted more freebies and hospitality than any other MP since 2019 - a total worth £107,145.
Keir Starmer's freebies: Everything you need to know - and why they're proving so controversial
The prime minister's acceptance of freebies and hospitality has dominated the political landscape this week. But what exactly has Sir Keir Starmer been criticised for, what are his party's concerns, and what has he said about it?
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Jake Levison
News reporter
Thursday 19 September 2024 13:30, UK
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Why you can trust Sky News
Sir Keir Starmer has come under scrutiny over the past week for the more than £100,000-worth of gifts he has accepted.
It started with controversy over his wife's clothes and has escalated since Sky News' Westminster Accounts project revealed he has been gifted more freebies and hospitality than any other MP since 2019 - a total worth £107,145.
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His acceptance of football tickets has proved particularly contentious, with some government officials reportedly concerned about a potential conflict of interest.
But what exactly has Sir Keir been criticised for, what are his party's concerns, and what has he said about it?
His wife's clothes
Talk of the PM's gifts began last weekend, when The Sunday Times reported he had breached parliamentary rules by failing to declare some of his wife's high-end clothes were bought for her by his biggest personal donor, Lord Alli.
Specifically, it was revealed Lord Alli, former chairman of online fashion retailer Asos, paid for a personal shopper, clothes, and alterations for Lady Victoria Starmer both before and after the Labour leader became prime minister in July.
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Image:Sir Keir Starmer with wife Lady Victoria after election win in July. Pic: PA
MPs are required to register gifts and donations within 28 days of receiving them, but it is understood the donations for Lady Starmer's clothes were submitted late.
Conservatives have been calling for an investigation into the potential breach of rules, which a spokesperson for Number 10 said was an oversight that had been corrected.
"We believed we'd been compliant, however, following further interrogation this month, we've declared further items," the spokesperson told Sky News.
Sir Keir has also received - and disclosed - other gifts from Lord Alli totalling £39,122.
These donations included an unspecified donation of accommodation worth £20,437, "work clothing" worth £16,200, and multiple pairs of glasses equivalent to £2,485.
Some Tory MPs have condemned Sir Keir for accepting the gifts at all, with shadow science and technology secretary Andrew Griffith saying: "It beggars belief that the prime minister thinks it's acceptable that pensioners on £13,000 a year can afford to heat their home when he earns 12 times that but apparently can't afford to clothe himself or his wife."
His comments refer to the government's decision to cut winter fuel payments for most pensioners.
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7:40Play Video - PM under fire for freebies
PM's freebies explained
Football tickets
The Premier League is one of the biggest donors of hospitality, and Sir Keir - a renowned Arsenal fan - has received almost £40,000 in tickets overall since December 2019.
He has declared £12,588 of gifts from the Premier League, numerous hospitality tickets to Arsenal matches costing well over £10,000 in total, plus two Euros finals tickets costing £1,628 and thousands of pounds' worth of tickets from other Premier League clubs.
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Image:Sir Keir Starmer in the stands of Premier League match between Brighton and Arsenal in April. Pic: PA
Sky News has learnt officials are warning the prime minister that he could be opening himself up to inappropriate lobbying by continuing to accept football tickets, as the government is planning to set up an Independent Football Regulator for the professional men's game.
Ministers are usually told to avoid hospitality from any organisation connected to an ongoing government regulatory decision.
Talk over his gifts, which include four tickets to a Taylor Swift concert totalling £4,000, also comes amid controversy over the prices concert-goers and football fans are having to pay to attend events.
What has Starmer said in response to criticism?
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0:38Play Video - PM wants 'transparency' over donations
PM wants 'transparency' over donations
Speaking to journalists this week, the prime minister said "all MPs get gifts" and he thinks the need to declare them is "a good framework".
"Wherever there are gifts from anyone, I'm going to comply with the rules," he said.
"It's very important to me that the rules are followed. I've always said that. I said that before the election. I reinforced it after the election.
"And that's why shortly after the election, my team reached out for advice on what declarations should be made so it's in accordance with the rules.
"They then sought out for further advice more recently, as a result of which they've made the relevant declarations."
On his acceptance of Arsenal tickets, he added: "I'm a massive Arsenal fan. I can't go into the stands because of security reasons. Therefore, if I don't accept a gift of hospitality, I can't go to a game. You could say: 'Well, bad luck'.
"That's why gifts have to be registered. But... never going to an Arsenal game again because I can't accept hospitality is pushing it a bit far."
Read more:
Explained: How MPs declare financial interests
How to check your own MP's earnings and donations
Tugendhat says Starmer gifts 'raise questions'
Another of the opposition's critiques of the PM has been his so-called "hypocrisy".
On Sunday, former home secretary and Tory leadership hopeful James Cleverly told Sky News Sir Keir was "very, very critical of the Conservatives" over similar controversies and had "basically got his job by criticising others".
While Sir Keir didn't comment on gifts during his election campaign, he regularly labelled former PM Rishi Sunak and his government as "out of touch" with the public's financial struggles.
Some of the PM's cabinet members have leapt to his defence - though with differing arguments in his favour.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told Sky News Sir Keir works "incredibly hard" and therefore deserves a "wider life experience" rather than simply working every second of the day.
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1:35Play Video - 'No objection' to Starmer gifts
Business secretary: 'No objection' to Starmer gifts
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has argued prime ministers and their spouses must "look their best" on the world stage, and therefore accepting gifts of clothes is acceptable when there is no taxpayer-funded budget for it.
But there have been murmurings of discontent within the Labour Party, with some backbenchers telling Sky News they are deeply frustrated with the way this story has been handled by Sir Keir's top team.