LABOUR’S chair Ellie Reeves struggled to justify why a top party donor was given a “temporary” pass to Downing Street where he “could go anywhere he wanted to” when quizzed on the matter.
Reeves was questioned as to why Waheed Alli, a British media entrepreneur and a member of the House of Lords, was given alleged access to all areas (AAA) pass to Downing Street when Labour first came into government.
Sky News host Kay Burley asked Reeves why Alli was given such privileges especially as he is a major party donor who has contributed more than £500,000 to Labour and does not have a government role.
Labour said Alli attended a “small number” of political meetings with no civil servants, and that he gave back his pass at the end of July.
On the breakfast show, Reeves said: “Lord Alli is a well-respected Labour peer,” at which point Burley pointed out that he “shouldn’t have access to Downing Street”.
The MP for Lewisham West and East Dulwich then went on to say that he “wasn’t involved in any policy decisions” and that it “is not unusual for a political figure to have a pass”.
Reeves added: “As far as I am aware no rules have been broken.”
Burley then asked: “Nothing to do with the fact that he personally donated quite a lot of money to Keir Starmer’s campaign?
“What about the £20,000 in glasses he gave him?”
Reeves doubled down stating Alli had been a peer for a very long time, he was appointed by Tony Blair in 1998, and that he did a great deal of work “supporting our election campaign”.
Alli had worked as the party's chief fundraiser for the General Election, having been hired by Starmer in 2022.
Reeves repeated that he had a pass for a “very short time” at which Burley said: “Lots of other people helped you win the election as well, do they have a pass too?”
Reeves laughed this off, saying she couldn’t confirm on an individual basis who does and doesn’t have a pass to Downing Street.
The exchange ended between the pair when Burley asked: “Is it reasonable for anybody who donates a significant amount of money to have access to the seat of power in our country?”
Reeves replied: “Well there’s no rules that prevent someone who has made a donation or had a political job in the past having a role.”
She reiterated that Alli had a pass for “a few weeks” and that she doesn’t know “all the details” about it but is “sure” the proper procedure was followed.
Reeves also refused to answer who issued the pass, stating she was not comfortable in doing so.
Can #Labour party chair @elliereeves explain why Lord Alli was given a AAA pass to Number 10? Does she think it was the right decision to give him one?#KayBurley SS pic.twitter.com/8LiYOv3Jtj
— Kay Burley (@KayBurley) August 27, 2024
