MPs slam Starmer over freebie fiasco

Sir Keir’s frockgate scandal is only gathering pace, it appears, after a rather calamitous week for the Prime Minister. Donations received by both Starmer and his wife have been heavily scrutinised after it emerged at the weekend that Lady Starmer’s gifts were not declared in line with parliamentary protocol. Rules for thee, but not for me!

The PM received some rather, er, ineffectual backing from a variety of government ministers on the airwaves this week – including David Lammy, Yvette Cooper and Angela Eagle – but with the way the tide is turning, Starmer may soon long to be surrounded by his sympathetic, if gaffe-prone, supporters. For the outrage about the PM’s donations is no longer being kept behind closed doors – and a number of irritated parliamentarians are now urging Sir Keir to just stop accepting gifts. Oh dear…

Labour peer Harriet Harman blasted Starmer’s handling of the freebie fiasco on a Sky podcast this week, saying that the Labour leader should stop trying to ‘justify’ the gifts as it is ‘making things worse’.