UK government to tighten hospitality rules after donations row

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LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s government will close a loophole that meant ministers did not have to declare hospitality they had received, cabinet office minister Pat McFadden said on Sunday when pressed again to explain the use of donations for clothing and gifts.

A day after a Labour lawmaker quit the governing party in protest over Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s approach to child poverty and the donations, McFadden said the government would make sure that ministers and opposition policy chiefs would all have to declare such hospitality.

“There’s been an imbalance in the rules here between ministers and shadow ministers (opposition politicians covering the same issues as government ministers), where ministers have not had to declare in the past hospitality they’ve received,” he said. “We will close that loophole going forward.”

He again defended the use of donations when the party was campaigning before the election in July, saying the donor involved had not sought any undue influence and that he was disappointed that lawmaker Rosie Duffield had left the party.

“I think you can see that she’s been disillusioned with the party leader, with the party maybe more generally, for quite a long time,” McFadden said.

“I’m disappointed to see her go … but ultimately I’m not surprised at the decision that she’s made.”