British Prime Minister Starmer sparks debate for failing to declare clothes Lord Alli bought for his wife

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer may have broken parliamentary rules by failing to declare the clothes bought by Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli for his wife Victoria Starmer, Britain’s First Lady.

In the UK, MPs must declare gifts and donations within 28 days of receiving them. Starmer approached parliamentary authorities earlier this week to make a belated declaration after receiving advice on what he would need to declare or disclose, the British broadcaster reported. BBC.

A separate report from the Sunday News said the donations also included the cost of a personal shopper and alterations for Victoria, both before and after the general election.

Starmer had previously stated that Lord Alli had provided him with accommodation worth over £20,000 for several weeks.

Lord Alli was taking part in a debate in early August when it was revealed that he had been given a temporary security pass to Downing Street despite not holding an official government role.

The Conservative Party called for a “full investigation” into the alleged “serious breaches of parliamentary rules” committed by the Prime Minister.

“The Prime Minister declared funds he received from Lord Alli. He then returned to the Parliamentary Commissioner to check further details of some of those funds that went to his wife,” said Foreign Secretary David Lammy. The BBC Laura Künssberg on Sunday.

Lammy said the matter was “not a question of transparency”

“The truth is that successive prime ministers – unless they are a billionaire like the last one – rely on political donations to look as good as possible both in the hope of representing the country when in opposition and as prime minister,” Lammy added.

He pointed out that, unlike the United States, British prime ministers and their partners do not have a large budget financed by taxpayers’ money and therefore rely on donations “to present the best possible image.”

A spokesman for 10 Downing Street said the British prime minister was confident he had followed the rules, but later gave further details.

“We asked the authorities for advice on how to get into the office. We thought we had complied with the regulations, but after further questioning this month we provided further information,” the spokesman said.

The broadcaster stated in its report that Lord Alli had previously bought clothes and glasses for Keir Starmer, but that these were listed in the MPs’ register of interests.