Keir Starmer making an attempt to justify greater than £100,000 of free presents is making issues worse, warns Labour grandee Baroness Harman

Sir Keir Starmer was final night time warned by a Labour grandee that he’s solely making the row over his freebies worse as he tries to justify them.

Baroness Harman turned the primary senior celebration determine to publicly criticise the Prime Minister within the rising storm over his acceptance of greater than £100,000 value of presents and hospitality previously 5 years.

The previous Cupboard minister – given a peerage earlier this yr by Sir Keir – stated the Labour chief was ‘doubling down’ and making an attempt to justify a donor paying for 1000’s of kilos’ value of garments for himself and his spouse. 

But final night time he once more insisted he had accomplished nothing incorrect – and claimed a company field he has been gifted to look at his beloved Arsenal from was in actual fact saving taxpayers cash, quite than sitting within the stands surrounded by safety.

A minister additionally launched a defence of his chief by saying it was proper that he attended ‘main cultural, sporting occasions’, resembling a latest Taylor Swift live performance at Wembley, and deserved some leisure time along with his household.

The storm started final month when it emerged that Labour peer and fundraising chief Lord Alli had been handed an access-all-areas safety move to Downing Road within the wake of the election victory, having given Sir Keir £16,200 for ‘work clothes’ adopted by £2,485 for ‘a number of pairs of glasses’.

It then emerged final weekend that Lord Alli, a former boss of on-line vogue retailer Asos, had additionally given 1000’s of kilos’ value of garments to the PM’s spouse Woman Starmer, whereas new calculations confirmed that Sir Keir had acquired extra freebies than every other MP, receiving £107,145 in presents, advantages and hospitality since December 2019.

Talking on a Sky Information podcast, Woman Harman stated: ‘You’ll be able to both double down on it and try to justify it or you’ll be able to simply say ‘it was most likely a misstep, if I had my time once more I would not do it and subsequently I’ll public sale for charity or one thing’.

‘It was only a misstep, it isn’t a dangling offence, however I believe doubling down and making an attempt to justify it’s making issues worse.

‘He isn’t a kind of money-focused, grasping sort of individual. He’s an individual of public service. So that is barely out of line. And he’ll be eager to take care of it.’

She went on: ‘I do not suppose he ought to do sackcloth and ashes, I believe that is overdoing it. He simply must say ‘proper with hindsight I am going do issues in a different way and that is how I’ll do it in future’ and everyone will transfer on to the issues that basically they care about.’

Nonetheless, Sir Keir confirmed no indicators of backing down, notably in the case of watching his favorite soccer group play.

He has lengthy been a season ticket holder at Arsenal however has in latest seasons accepted invites to look at matches from company hospitality bins quite than from the stands.

He instructed the BBC in a spherical of regional interviews final night time: ‘I am a daily attender however now, for safety causes, I am unable to go within the stands and subsequently the membership have made preparations for me to look at from elsewhere, it is so simple as that.

‘Frankly, I might quite be within the stands, however I am not going to ask the taxpayer to indulge me to be within the stands, after I may go and sit someplace else.. That is for me, a typical sense scenario.’

Requested by ITV if he was apprehensive about being seen as ‘Parliament’s king of the freebies’ he stated: ‘Now I’ve had the possibility to clarify to you the scenario, I believe most individuals would say that is a fairly honest argument.’

Earlier, Enterprise Secretary Jonathan Reynolds was requested concerning the PM taking tickets to see Arsenal and Coldplay gigs and instructed Sky Information: ‘These are main cultural, sporting occasions. I believe it is essential individuals in public life have some connection to that.’

He additionally stated the PM deserved some leisure time. In a separate interview with Instances Radio, Mr Reynolds defended Sir Keir receiving hospitality from huge companies.

‘It isn’t a perk of the job, it is a part of the job. Folks wish to interact with choice makers. They wish to ask you to pay attention to what they’re doing,’ he stated.