James Heale James Heale

Will ‘flatgate’ damage Keir Starmer?

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Labour conference has been and gone and still Lord Alli remains in the headlines. The latest claims regarding the multimillionaire peer surround his £18 million penthouse flat in Covent Garden which Keir Starmer used repeatedly during his time as Leader of the Opposition.

Two periods in particular are being scrutinised by the press. First, the use of Alli’s flat by Starmer during the later stages of Covid. Second, his decision this spring to move his family there to allow his son to revise for his GCSEs. While the criticism of Lord Alli initially centred on claims of wealthy donors and ‘cash for access’, the story has now moved on to whether Starmer has been honest in declaring his use of Alli’s flat.

Starmer is vulnerable to claims of improper declarations, having painted himself as ‘Mr Rules’

Throughout his leadership of the Labour party, Starmer has infrequently used Alli’s penthouse to record official videos.

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