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Emily Thornberry has defended Sir Keir Starmer in the growing row surrounding the prime minister after he and his wife accepted thousands of pounds’ worth of freebies.
Sir Keir, who has a salary of around £160,000, has faced criticism after it emerged he was late to declare a donation by a Labour peer who paid for dresses for his wife Victoria.
Lord Waheed Alli bought more than £5,000 worth of clothes for Lady Victoria Starmer. He has also given Sir Keir £18,685 of work clothes and several pairs of glasses.
It also emerged today that Lady Starmer accepted two free tickets worth hundreds of pounds each to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
But defending the prime minister, Ms Thornberry said: “These are things that happen all the time in politics,” questioning whether the public expects the prime minister to “take a packed lunch” to a state dinner at Buckingham Palace.
Asked whether it was appropriate for Lady Starmer to receive dresses as donations from Lord Alli, the former shadow attorney general said: “I think there is something about the public (wanting) politicians to be perfect, but they also want them to be human.
“And so they want us to be turned out perfectly, and not just us, our partners as well. And if you’re the wife of a prime minister, you have to look absolutely splendid at every moment.
“I suppose you have to think about the principle and think well, how do you apply it, and where does it end? Because if you’re not to take anything in terms of any donation from anyone, then what happens if he goes to Buckingham Palace for a state dinner? Is he supposed to take a packed lunch?”
Speaking to Sky News, the current chair of the foreign affairs committee and MP for Islington South and Finsbury, added: “These are things that happen all the time in politics, it seems to me that so long as there’s no undue influence. So long as the money has been declared, then this is the way the system is.”
Wes Streeting also joked he had been “outed as a Swiftie” as he defended was freebies for ministers, following reports he had accepted free tickets to the superstar’s concert.
“I think the important thing is transparency and accountability, and there are no conflicts of interest. That’s why we have a transparent system,” he added.
Sir Keir has faced questions over the £5,000 donation from Lord Alli, which he initially failed to put on his register of interests. A Number 10 spokesperson said it was an oversight which was corrected after it "sought advice from the authorities on coming to office".
The peer, a leading Labour donor, received a high-level security pass for Downing Street in the weeks after the election and made a donation to Sir Keir of accommodation over several weeks, worth more than £20,000.
Tory chairman Andrew Griffith asked the parliamentary standards commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, to investigate a potential breach of the rules.
But Downing Street has since confirmed that the commissioner has decided not to investigate.
Sir Keir said it is “very important” to him that the rules are followed, adding: "I’ve always said that. I said that before the election. I reinforced it after the election.
"And that’s why shortly after the election, my team reached out for advice on what declarations should be made so it’s in accordance with the rules.”
Cabinet minister Dame Angela Eagle struggled to defend the prime minister on Tuesday, telling Times Radio she is “not responsible for decisions the prime minister makes”.
She said she had no opinion on the issue, telling the presenter to “ask him yourself”.
When it was pointed out to her that Labour previously attacked Boris Johnson for using donors to “fund his luxury wallpaper habit”, Dame Angela hit back: “OK, you’ve had your rant.”
Meanwhile, over the weekend, foreign secretary David Lammy said donations were accepted so the Labour leader and his wife could “look their best”.
