Keir Starmer accepted £76,000 of freebies including tickets to over 20 football games

Sir Keir Starmer accepted £76,000 worth of entertainment, clothes and similar freebies from UK donors since the 2019 general election, more than almost any other MP, according to research by the Financial Times.

The Labour leader took “gifts, benefits and hospitality” spanning concerts, parties, sport games, hotel stays and clothing during the last parliament, including more than 20 free tickets to see football matches.

Starmer, who is on course to become prime minister after the general election on Thursday, has vowed to “return politics to public service” after what he has characterised as years of Conservative sleaze.

MPs have to declare gifts, benefits and hospitality from UK sources to the House of Commons register of interests. The benefits section of the register groups together gifts, such as tickets, with other categories of expense. It excludes international travel.

Asked generally about his use of freebies on Monday, Starmer said the transparency of the register meant that “everybody . . . can see who donated, what it was for, and how much it is, so you can ensure there’s no conflict of interest, as I would ensure there’s no conflict of interest.”

His spokesman declined to comment further.

The FT research stripped out some items Starmer listed in that section, including thousands of pounds of donations for his private office, overnight stays during his leadership campaign and freebies enjoyed by his staff.

The most generous benefit Starmer disclosed was £16,200 of “work clothing” this April from Lord Waheed Alli, a Labour member of the House of Lords and former chair of online clothing retailer Asos. Lord Alli also gave Starmer “multiple pairs of glasses” worth £2,485. 

Starmer has taken free tickets from a variety of donors to see his beloved Arsenal play against West Ham, Watford, Spurs, Everton, Brighton, Porto, Manchester City, Manchester United and Crystal Palace — as well as an international women’s match at Wembley and the finals of the last Euros competition in 2021. 

In June 2023, Starmer took four hospitality tickets worth £698 to see Coldplay at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, before staying at a hotel thanks to a donation from entrepreneur Matthew Moulding worth £937. 

The previous August Starmer, who is married with two children, accepted accommodation for four people on the scenic Gower peninsula in Wales worth £4,500 as a gift from Crownhawk Properties, a company founded by Welsh entrepreneur Rod Lloyd.

Other junkets enjoyed by Starmer have included a concert by singer Adele at Hyde Park, a ticket to the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, a rugby match at Saracens, four tickets to see the play Nye at the National Theatre and two tickets to the royal box at Wimbledon.

Steve Goodrich, head of research and investigations at Transparency International, said that “parliamentarians should ask themselves why they’re being indulged so generously, and what the hidden price tag may be, before accepting such gifts”.

The highest declarations in the gifts, benefits and hospitality section of the register during the last parliament was Andrew Bridgen, a former Tory MP who received more than £4mn of interest-free loans from millionaire Jeremy Hosking to cover legal expenses.

Siobhain McDonagh, a Labour MP, received an interest-free loan of £1.2mn from Lord Alli to move house to enable her unwell sister to live with her.

Jeremy Corbyn, former Labour leader, made declarations totalling more than £600,000 in relation to legal costs being covered by supporters. 

Former prime ministers Theresa May and Liz Truss declared £249,000 and £47,000, respectively, from Gatwick and Heathrow airports. As former heads of government, the airports automatically upgrade both to travel using its VIP suites.

Boris Johnson declared more than £200,000 in gifts, £117,000 of which was accommodation for him and his family after he was ejected from Downing Street.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has been criticised by Labour for his frequent use of private and RAF aircraft, accepted more than £140,000 in donations to cover the cost of eight flights. These were not considered personal gifts and were registered in a separate category for “support linked to an MP” as they were for trips made on Conservative party business.

The MP who came closest to Starmer in terms of entertainment benefits was Laurence Robertson, a Tory MP who received more than £40,000 in days out from the racing and betting industries since 2019.

The Betting and Gaming Council, for which Robertson has also worked, threw him a £2,300 reception to mark his birthday.

Starmer became Labour leader in April 2020. His relaxed approach to free events is in contrast to his two predecessors heading Labour in opposition since 2010. 

Corbyn, leader from 2015 to 2019, only ever recorded a single £476 benefit: a trip to the Glastonbury Festival in 2017 where he spoke on the Pyramid Stage. 

Ed Miliband, who led Labour from 2010 to 2015, took tickets to various events at the London Olympics and Paralympics games that he said had “no face value given on the tickets”.