Sir Keir Starmer is in a “pressure” job and should be allowed to enjoy gifts and hospitality if it is declared correctly, a cabinet minister has told Sky News.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said anyone who is a PM “spends pretty much every bit of their waking life working on it” and if they are able to do something important to them “I don’t think that’s a problem”.
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It comes after Sky News’ Westminster Accounts project revealed Sir Keir has received substantially more freebies than any other MP since becoming Labour leader.
Since December 2019, he received £107,145 in gifts, benefits, and hospitality – a specific category in parliament’s register of MPs’ interests.
The Premier League is one of the biggest donors of hospitality, and Sir Keir – a renowned Arsenal fan – has received almost £40,000 in tickets overall since December 2019.
Mr Reynolds said: “I think anyone who’s doing a job of the pressure, of the scale, of the importance that the prime minister does, spends pretty much every bit of their waking life working on it.
“And if they’ve got the chance for a little bit of time with family or something that’s important to them, in this case, lifelong support for a football team, I don’t think that’s a problem.”
He added people “would reasonably expect” prime ministers to sit in a directors’ box at a sporting event for security reasons.
Asked about accepting free tickets to concerts like Taylor Swift and Coldplay, he said: “These are major cultural, sporting events. I think it’s important people in public life have some connection to that.”
MPs are required to register gifts and donations within 28 days.
The business secretary went on to say there are “clear rules” in place and he has “no objection to how the system works”.
Read More:
See how many gifts your MP declares
Our guide to exploring the Westminster Accounts
He added the government’s controversial decision to scrap the winter fuel allowance for most pensioners should not be “conflated” with the prime minister accepting freebies.
Sir Keir is a lifelong Arsenal fan. Pic: PA
“I think to conflate the two issues and forget the fact that there are major issues facing the UK that can only be addressed because we’ve got a change of government wouldn’t be right,” he said.
Sir Keir defended his right to continue to take football freebies earlier this week, saying that because of security reasons: “If I don’t accept a gift of hospitality, I can’t go to a game.”
He is also under pressure after a report in the BBC claimed his chief of staff Sue Gray is paid more than £170,000, which is higher than the prime minister.
Mr Reynolds said the salaries of advisers “are not set by politicians” and “there’s an official process that does that”.
He added: “Sue Gray is getting on with the job of this government delivering on our promises, I think that’s what matters more than anything else for anyone who works in Downing Street, and I can assure you that is exactly what is happening.”
Source Agencies
