STANDING outside Number 10, Keir Starmer said: “Our country has voted, decisively. For change. For national renewal. And a return of politics to public service”.
Precisely which part of public service is served by MPs accepting lavish gifts including designer clothes and donations for shindigs remains a mystery.
Is the electorate really to be taken as fools?
Since December 2019, Keir Starmer has raked in more freebies than any other MP. He’s accepted £107,145 in gifts, benefits, and hospitality – a specific category in parliament’s register of MPs’ interests.
The next highest is Commons leader Lucy Powell MP on £40,289, while the prime minister received gifts as much as the next five MPs combined.
Back in July, Mr Starmer said: “When the gap between the sacrifices made by people and the service they receive from politicians grows this big, it leads to a weariness in the heart of a nation”.
Very true, although those words were read through spectacles provided by donations from Lord Alli.
Lord Alli has provided the PM with freebies worth £39,122. That includes donations of accommodation worth £20,437, “work clothing” worth £16,200, and multiple pairs of glasses at a cost of £2,485.
This is the tip of the iceberg. The PM has received has received almost £40,000 in football tickets since December 2019 from the Premier League and Taylor Swift concert tickets worth £4,000.
Arsenal FC have now gifted him a corporate box worth at least £8,750 per game. At a time when a new football regulator is being discussed.
Yesterday, Deputy PM Angela Rayner was questioned about the morality and ethics of Mr Starmer accepting free outfits? Her defence seemed to be that all MPs do it.
For her, it was “open and transparent” so long as declared in accordance with the rules. Ms Rayner told us that she herself was from a working-class background and had to accept donations to stand as deputy leader of her party.
Have you ever heard such mince? MPs basic salary is just under £92,000 per year leaving aside an assortment of expenses and allowances on top. The PM earns almost £167,000 a year.
Every other worker has to pay for their own clothes and specs. Why should MPs get freebies?
Yesterday, Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson MP, gave an interview and defended taking £14,000 from Lord Alli last year for her 40th birthday party and another event. This was fine because it was “within the rules”.
The point Mr Starmer and many MPs seem to miss is you don’t get donations for free. The donor expects something in return – whether a favour or advantage of some kind.
And who makes the rules? MPs themselves.
There is a Code of Conduct for MPs which is approved by MPs. Underpinning the Code is the 2000 Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act. Schedule 7 of the Act says MPs cannot accept donations from impermissible donors.
Section 54 defines a “permissible donor”. This is a means of prohibiting the foreign funding of UK political parties. The identity of a donor must also be known.
Other than that, all a MP has to do is declare gifts within 28 days. The system is a free for all.
It’s unethical, immoral and creates massive cronyism.
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