by Sir Keir Starmer has launched a fight back against allegations that his government is mired in “sleaze, nepotism and avarice”, with an announcement that the rules on declaring donations and gifts will change.
The prime minister and a succession of cabinet ministers have been criticized for accepting thousands of pounds worth of freebies from corporate sponsors and millionaire donors, as the scandal hit the party in the polls.
In an attempt to get the government back on track, Pat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who runs the Cabinet Office – Whitehall’s “engine room” – announced that rules for ministers would be tightened.
He claimed the current rules were a “Tory loophole” designed to protect former Conservative ministers. The move came as:
-
Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield has quit Labour, accusing Sir Keir of presiding over “sleaze, nepotism and apparent avarice”, later claiming the prime minister has a “woman problem” .
-
Mr McFadden dismissed £16,000 in donations for Sir Keir’s clothes and £32,000 for ministers and their spouses for clothes as “campaign expenses”.
-
Loyalist Labor MPs launched a coordinated attack on a “right-wing conspiracy” against Sir Keir.
-
The Tories opened their conference in Birmingham, as senior figures within the party expressed “deep concern” that the party is not providing a sensible opposition.
-
A row between Tory leadership hopefuls broke out over Kemi Badenoch’s comments on “excessive” maternity pay
-
Former PM Rishi Sunak went into hiding and only addressed a select group of Tory MPs in private
Mr McFadden said that under current guidance, departments publish details of hospitality received by ministers in their ministerial capacity, but are only released quarterly and do not include the value – unlike MPs’ interests, which are declared every two weeks and the estimated cost includes. .
Speaking about the new changes, Mr McFadden said: “In future we will make it clear in the ministerial code that both ministers and shadow ministers should be subject to the same declaration rules.
“This was a Tory loophole, brought in so that if you had an event where the Tory minister … would be there, there would also be a Labor shadow opposite number, and the Tory minister wouldn’t have to to confirm.
“That’s Tory rule. We don’t think that’s fair, so we’ll close that loophole so that Ministers and shadow ministers are treated the same in the future.”
Transparency International UK welcomed the government’s proposal to change the rules.
Rose Whiffen, speaking on behalf of the campaign group, said: “We welcome this change to end the two-tier system which has meant that Ministers, those closest to power, are able to share less information provide for their generosity and make it available so often. their colleagues from the back bench.
“Furthermore, to demonstrate his commitment to improving trust, the prime minister should issue his ministerial code with promised changes to also strengthen the role of the independent adviser.”
Sir Keir has come under fire after it emerged he personally accepted more than £100,000 in gifts.
Ms Duffield announced her decision to quit the Labor Party at the weekend, in an open letter to the Prime Minister.
She wrote: “Someone with far above average wealth chooses to keep the Conservative two-child limit on benefit payments, affecting children in poverty, while accepting expensive personal gifts of designer suits and glasses that cost more than most of those people. Understandably – that’s not quite worthy of holding the title of Labor prime minister.”
Ms Duffield, whose relationship with Labor has been strained over her views on transgender issues, criticized Sir Keir’s management of the party, saying he was “never in regular contact” with backbench MPs and had not His “basic politics and basic politics”. political instincts”.
She added: “The sleaze, nepotism and avarice is apparent off the scale. I am so ashamed of what you and your inner circle have done to destroy and humiliate our once proud party.”
Her letter said she planned to sit as an Independent MP and would be “guided by my core Labor values”.
But MPs and Labor colleagues launched a fight back on social media to defend the beleaguered prime minister.
Siobhain McDonagh, Labor MP for Mitcham and Morden, contributed an article The Independent‘s John Rentoul, adding: “Keir Starmer’s encroachment is exactly what the right-wing media needs | The Independent – 100%. Thank you.”
Former deputy leader Tom Watson replied: “I agree.”
Some party figures have also said they are not upset by Ms Duffield’s departure, pointing out that she abstained from the recent winter fuel vote.
Meanwhile, as the Tory conference gets under way in Birmingham, senior Conservative figures have said they believe the four-month leadership contest, which is continuing with four final candidates, means the party is “providing no worthy opposition”.
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak, who is still the leader of the party, is not even giving a public speech at the conference; instead it will address only a select group of members of the Conservative National Convention.
One former senior minister questioned whether Labour’s plans for transparency made any sense.
Former Tory minister Sir Jake Berry dismissed Mr McFadden’s claims, and said many of the gifts of clothes, designer glasses, use of luxury apartments, and tickets for events such as Taylor Swift concerts are not covered by the ministerial exemption.
He told The Independent: “This is really a smoke screen. All those gifts must be announced in our roles as Members and as ministers. There was no exemption.
“It’s interesting that when it comes to things like clothes, the donors, like Lord Alli, could make a general donation to the party for campaign funds, which could then be spent on clothes or whatever. Instead he chose to give personal donations to individuals, because it was clear that he wanted them to know that he was making the donation.”
