Starmer repays cost of some gifts after freebies row

LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has paid back more than £6,000 ($8,000) worth of gifts, including Taylor Swift concert tickets, officials said on Wednesday, following a row over donations to senior figures in the ruling Labour Party.

Starmer and members of his top team have been criticised for accepting tens of thousands of pounds of freebies from wealthy donors, in particular an unelected lawmaker.

All of the donations were within parliament´s rules but Starmer has faced accusations of hypocrisy since the furore comes as he is asking ordinary Britons to tighten their belts.

Following a backlash, he announced an overhaul of hospitality rules for government ministers to try to ensure better transparency around what is accepted.

“The prime minister has commissioned a new set of principles on gifts and hospitality to be published as part of the updated ministerial code,” a Downing Street spokesperson said. “Ahead of the publication of the new code, the prime minister has paid for several entries on his own register. This will appear in the next register of members´ interests.”

In Brussels, where he met senior European Union leaders, Starmer said “some principles of general application” were needed surrounding gifts. “I took the position that until the principles are in place it was right for me to make those repayments,” he told reporters.