UK PM Starmer accused of 'hypocrisy' over gifts and hospitality

Britain's Keir Starmer is facing mounting questions after analysis showed he has received more than $132,000 (£100,000) in gifts and hospitality since December 2019 –– more than any other lawmaker.

The revelations, even though the gifts have been declared and do not breach parliamentary rules, come at a time when his government is pushing Britons to accept short-term financial "pain for long-term good".

Most controversially, Labour is planning to cut winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners which will leave some nearly $400 (£300) worse off.

But widespread opposition to the move, including from within his own party, has been compounded by questions about gifts both he and his wife Victoria have received.

First came an admission from Starmer that Victoria, who recently attended a London Fashion Week show, accepted clothes worth $6,617 (£5,000) from Labour donor Waheed Alli, a media entrepreneur and member of the House of Lords.

Alli has also donated tens of thousands of pounds worth of clothing, accommodation and "multiple pairs" of spectacles to the prime minister himself.

Media have dubbed the row "passes for glasses" after it was disclosed that Alli had a temporary Downing Street security pass despite not having a government role.

Also this week, it emerged that Starmer's powerful chief of staff Sue Gray, who as a senior civil servant led an inquiry into Covid lockdown-breaking parties by the Tories at Downing Street, now earns $224,978 (£170,000) a year.

Starmer, who became Labour leader in early 2020, earns about $221,007 (£167,000).