UK’s Starmer repays cost of Taylor Swift tickets after criticism

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LONDON (Reuters) -Britain’s Keir Starmer has repaid thousands of pounds worth of gifts from wealthy donors, his office said on Wednesday, following criticism over freebies received by the prime minister and other Labour politicians.

Only months after Starmer and his Labour Party were elected to power, he and some of his top ministers have come under fire for accepting donations to pay for clothing, host parties, attend concerts and foreign travel.

Starmer’s Downing Street office said he had repaid more than 6,000 pounds ($7,961) worth of gifts ahead of the publication of a proposed new code for such donations.

“We are now going to bring forward principles for donations, because until now politicians have used their best individual judgment on a case-by-case basis,” Starmer said when asked about the repayments by reporters during a trip to Brussels.

“So I took the decision that until the principles are in place, it was right for me to make those repayments,” he said.

The 6,000 pounds will cover the cost of six tickets for a Taylor Swift concert, four horse racing tickets and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end fashion designer.

Under the House of Commons code of conduct, members of parliament have to provide information about financial interests which might reasonably be thought to influence their work.

The controversy forced Starmer to say last month he would not accept any more donations to pay for his clothing. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Finance Minister Rachel Reeves will also no longer accept them.

Earlier on Wednesday a parliamentary notice showed there was an ongoing investigation into Waheed Alli, a Labour donor who sits in parliament’s upper chamber and has donated to Starmer, for alleged non-registration of interests.

Starmer’s registered financial interests show he received several donations from Alli, including multiple pairs of glasses, clothes and accommodation.

Alli is a media entrepreneur and former chairman of the online fashion retailer ASOS.

($1 = 0.7534 pounds)

(Reporting by Muvija M, Catarina Demony, Sachin Ravikumar, Sarah Young and Alistair Smout; Editing by William James and Daniel Wallis)