LETTER FROM LONDON
Two and a half months after Labour came to power, a faint whiff of scandal is already floating around Downing Street. Sunday schedule The UK government revealed a few days ago that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had failed to declare donations to his wife Victoria Starmer worth £5,000 (about €5,950) in a timely manner (within twenty-eight days), contrary to parliamentary rules. These sums, paid by Waheed Alli, a generous donor to the Labour Party, were mainly used to buy clothes.
Very discreet until a few months ago, Victoria Starmer, 51, a lawyer by training who works in the British public hospital NHS, suddenly found herself in the spotlight in the spring, during the legislative election campaign. The media reported on her fondness for horse racing and midi dress – midi dresses, the uniform of the elegant British. On 5 July, the day she entered Downing Street in the arms of her husband after the overwhelming Labour victory in the elections, she wore a scarlet dress by the British brand Me+Em for 275 pounds sterling. At the reception in Buckingham in honour of the Emperor of Japan and then during her first trip to Washington, for the NATO summit, she wore two immaculate dresses by another British brand, Needle & Thread.
Keir Starmer defended himself on Monday 16 September, stressing that there was a “big difference between a statement [tardive de dons] and corruption ». His wife is not the only one affected: the leader also received donations worth £20,000 for accommodation from Waheed Alli, a member of the House of Lords. To this must be added £16,000 spent on fancy dress and £2,400 on glasses. In addition to these payments, which were declared to Parliament in time, and most of which took place before Starmer entered Downing Street, there were also many other donations (from the Premier League or hotel companies, including £4,000 for tickets to a Taylor Swift concert or tickets to football matches (Keir Starmer is a die-hard Arsenal fan).
There is no specific budget for clothing
HE Guardian He has done the math: since 2019, the Labour leader has accepted gifts worth a record £100,000. By comparison, Jeremy Corbyn, his predecessor as Labour leader, is frugal. During his tenure, from 2015 to 2019, he declared only a handful of tickets to Glastonbury festival worth £450 and a collector’s book that he donated to a museum. “All deputies accept donations”Keir Starmer justified himself further on Monday, adding that for security reasons he could no longer go to the stadium stands like any other spectator and had to accept invitations (to the VIP boxes) to be able to attend matches. He ruled out refusing such donations in the future for the time being.
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