Starmer pays back more than £6k in gifts after donations row

Sir Keir Starmer has paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality he received since entering Number 10 after a row over ministerial donations.

The Prime Minister is covering the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four to the races and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer.

It comes after Sir Keir and other Cabinet members - who vowed to "clean up" British politics - faced weeks of criticism for accepting tens of thousands of pounds worth of freebies from wealthy donors.

The Prime Minister has committed to overhauling hospitality rules for ministers to ensure better transparency about what is provided following the backlash.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, pictured at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, has paid back more than £6,000 in gifts and hospitality he has received since entering Downing Street | PA

On Wednesday, a Downing Street spokesperson said: "The Prime Minister has commissioned a new set of principles on gifts and hospitality to be published as part of the updated ministerial code.

"Ahead of the publication of the new code, the Prime Minister has paid for several entries on his own register. This will appear in the next register of members' interests."

Gifts paid for by Sir Keir include four Taylor Swift tickets from Universal Music Group totalling £2,800, two from the Football Association at a cost of £598, and four to Doncaster Races from Arena Racing Corporation at £1,939.

An £839 clothing rental agreement with Edeline Lee, the designer recently worn by his wife to London Fashion Week, along with one hour of hair and makeup, was also covered by the Prime Minister.

However, Sir Keir has also accepted a further £6,134 in "clothing and personal support" for Lady Starmer in June, from prominent Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli, according to the latest register of interests published on Wednesday.

The Lords' commissioner is looking at an "alleged non-registration of interests" by the former media executive.

The Prime Minister also took £920 from Tottenham Hotspur stadium for two tickets to the north London derby in September, and £1,000 from Arsenal FC for a game in August, according to the register.

He has previously defended his decision to accept hospitality in order to attend football matches, citing security concerns which prevent him from watching from the stands without a large and expensive police presence.

Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli | PA

A Labour spokesman said: "Lord Alli will co-operate fully with the Lords' Commissioner and he is confident all interests have been registered. We cannot comment further while this is ongoing."

Lord Alli, a media tycoon known known in political circles for years, was brought to wider public attention in recent weeks due to scrutiny of the gifts to the Prime Minister.

These included £20,000 in accommodation during the election campaign, which the PM said was to allow his son to study for his GCSEs in peace at the peer's central London flat while the family home was surrounded by media.

The Prime Minister also accepted glasses and clothing for both himself and his wife, declaring £16,000 in donations and £39,122 in gifts from the peer since October.

Sir Keir has argued Lord Alli, who entered the spotlight after it emerged in August that he had been granted a temporary Downing Street security pass after the election without having a Government role, was motivated to help financially because he wanted Labour to win the election.

But the controversy overshadowed the party's first annual conference since entering Government and was cited by Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield as one of the reasons she resigned the whip last week in protest against the leadership.