The UK prime minister, who recently came under fire for accepting freebies from wealthy donors, said it was “right” that he paid for the gifts himself.
It comes as Sir Keir pledged to “clean up” British politics and overhaul hospitality rules to ensure transparency over accepting gifts as a politician.
“I took the decision that, until those principles were in place, it was right to repay these particular payments,” he said, according to the BBC.
Earlier on Thursday, it also emerged that Deputy PM Angela Rayner’s recent DJ booth party in an Ibiza super club was actually a £836 freebie.
It’s unclear whether other MPs will follow Sir Keir’s lead of paying back gifts, with one minister saying it “may not be possible” to pay for some types of gifts.
MPs can accept gifts, and there’s nothing illegal about doing that as long as they follow strict rules and declare them publicly.
According to the Register of Members’ Financial Interests, the total value of gifts that Sir Keir has accepted since October 2023 is £74,905.80.
Over the past year, the prime minister has accepted 11 football match tickets valued at thousands of pounds, as well as more than £24,000 in work clothes and accessories.
So here are all the gifts from UK donors that Sir Keir has declared within the past year (this list includes some items that Starmer agreed to pay back).
Action Images via Reuters
1. Two tickets with hospitality to Chelsea vs Arsenal football match, value £2,400
Donor: Cain International UK Services Ltd
2. Four tickets with hospitality for Newcastle United v Arsenal, value £1,000
Donor: Teescraft Engineering Ltd
3. Four tickets to the Jingle Bell Ball with hospitality, value £800
Donor: Global Media and Entertainment Ltd
4. Two tickets for pre-match hospitality in the Chairman’s Lounge and to the match, (value is estimated) £2,000
Donor: West Ham United Football Club
5. Four match tickets and hospitality, value £820
Donor: Norwich City Football Club
6. Five tickets with hospitality to Arsenal vs Porto, value £3,000
7. Hospitality and match tickets for two people to Manchester City vs Arsenal (value is approximate) £900
Donor: Manchester City Football Club
8. Four tickets and hospitality to Brighton vs Arsenal, (value is approximate) £500
Donor: Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club
9. Four tickets and hospitality to Arsenal vs Wolverhampton Wanderers, (value is approximate) £1,488
Donor: Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club
10. Work clothing, value £16,200
11. Five tickets and hospitality to Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal, (value is approximate) £2,500
Donor: Tottenham Hotspur Ltd
12. Two tickets in the Director’s Box (including dining) at Old Trafford for Manchester United v Arsenal FC, (value is approximate) £1,790
13. Four tickets to see Nye plus dinner, value £358
14. Multiple pairs of glasses, value £2,485
15. Four tickets with hospitality to Taylor Swift concert, value £4,000
Donor: The Football Association Premier League Limited
16. Accommodation, value £20,437.28
17. Tickets and hospitality for two people, value £1,000
Donor: The Arsenal Football Club Limited
18. Clothing and personal support to spouse, value £6,134
19. Four tickets and hospitality to Taylor Swift, (value is approximate) £2,800
Donor: Universal Music Operations Ltd
20. Two tickets and hospitality to Taylor Swift that were offered to and accepted by family members, value £598
Donor: The Football Association Ltd
21. Two tickets and hospitality to Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal, value £920
Donor: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Limited
22. Four tickets & hospitality at Doncaster Races, value £1,936
Donor: Arena Racing Corporation Limited
23. Loan of clothing to my spouse on multiple occasions; single use of a hair and makeup artist for my spouse. Approximate total value of rental of comparable items and hourly fee of hair and make-up professionals, value £839.52
Donor: Edeline Lee, Studio Garconne Ltd
