As the British Labour Party congress opens on Sunday 22 September, which is to set the broad outlines of policy for the country, the debate has been polluted in recent days. This is due to the first major controversy to tarnish the mandate of Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Over the past five years, the man who became British Prime Minister has reportedly accepted gifts whose total value exceeded 100,000 euros. That is, more than any other member of Parliament.
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Triumphantly elected at the beginning of July, Keir Starmer had promised transparency and exemplarity. He had promised to put an end to the policy of small arrangements of his conservative predecessors in Downing Street and to reconcile the country after Boris Johnson’s party gate and scandals surrounding Rishi Sunak’s fortuneBut now the new British Prime Minister is in turn caught in the middle of the storm, reports our correspondent in London, Sarah Menai.
According to a Sky News investigation, since December 2019, Keir Starmer and his wife have received more than £100,000 in gifts, the main donor of which is Waheed Alli, a multi-millionaire entrepreneur and member of the House of Lords. The total amount of his gifts amounts to more than £40,000, for accommodation, ” work clothes » (for almost 20,000 euros), as well as several pairs of glasses.
Keir Starmer, a fan of London club Arsenal, received invitations to football matches worth more than £40,000. Tickets to the Taylor Swift concert he attended with his wife in June were worth around £4,000. His wife Victoria received designer clothes worth almost £6,000. This gift from Waheed Alli was not declared in the register by Keir Starmer.
Keir Starmer defends himself
So since these revelations, the conservative press has been having a field day. The tabloid The Daily Mail now nicknames Starmer ” Sir Freebie » (« Mr. Gift ”) and speaks of “ Socialist Champagne “, which is the English equivalent of ” left caviar “.
At United Kingdom Today, many denounce what is called ” of hypocrisy ” from the British Prime Minister. While in opposition, he often criticized his predecessor, the super-rich Rishi Sunak, for being ” disconnected ” ordinary people.
Asked on Monday 16 September, Keir Starmer defended himself over invitations to boxes for Arsenal matches by saying he could not sit in the stands. for security reasons “. “ Never going to an Arsenal game, because I can’t accept an invitation, is going a bit too far ” he said.
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