National News

UK PM Starmer pays back more than £6,000 in gifts after donations row

Oct 03, 2024

London [UK], October 3: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has paid back more than £6,000 ($7,965) worth of gifts and hospitality he received since being elected after a row over ministerial donations. He is covering the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four to the horse races and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by his wife, Victoria Starmer. It comes after Starmer and other UK Cabinet members - who vowed to "clean up" British politics after winning July's election from the governing Conservatives - faced weeks of criticism for accepting tens of thousands of pounds worth of freebies from wealthy donors. The prime minister has committed to overhauling hospitality rules for ministers to ensure better transparency about what is provided following the backlash. On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Starmer said: "The Prime Minister has commissioned a new set of principles on gifts and hospitality to be published as part of the updated ministerial code. "Ahead of the publication of the new code, the Prime Minister has paid for several entries on his own register. This will appear in the next register of members' interests." (PA Media/dpa