Starmer took donor’s gifts because there is no taxpayer funding for clothes

[MrsRobinsonsHandprints]

Mind-blowing

According to today's Telegraph, in the year 2022-2023 Starmer only made £404, 030. So how on earth can he be expected to buy a pair of specs and a pretty dress for his wife?? Christ, people are so unreasonable these days.

It's one thing receiving an umbrella or travel mug, but another to receive 40k's worth of glasses and clothes. To those that say she needs these things for engagements etc. surely that's what wages are for, most of us have to buy clothes for work events, even the posh ones. I've never been given a clothing allowance for meeting customers!

I agree that him doubling down is a very bad idea. He has already accepted more gifts that every other labour leader combined sine '97. It's nothing but arrogance and entitlement

😂😂😂

Now we can think about his donated suits and glasses when he goes on about pain and difficult choices

I hope the press have a field day with it

Did anyone see Starmers comment in The Sunday Times? He is an Arsenal fan, but due to security reasons he can no longer sit in the stands. Fair enough. He then said "If I don't accept a gift of hospitality, I can't go to a game"

Apparently it hasn't occurred to him that he could just buy his own hospitality tickets?? What is WRONG with the man???

Why don't MPs have to pay tax on gifts, like every other person who is in employment? Bringing this in would show real integrity.

This is ridiculous isn't it. It's as though he can't fathom the option of buying something for himself.

Yes, I saw that. As I said, a particular kind of entitlement... And his petulant responses and justification make him sound more and more like Gordon Brown by the day... You can see it in his face..."how dare these people question me.."

not a good look... at least Bliar and Johnson made a modicum of effort to read the room...

at least Bliar and Johnson made a modicum of effort to read the room...

And, frankly, they had charisma. Starmer doesn't. Blair and Johnson knew they could charm their way out of shit like this - I don't think Starmer has that ability.

However, scandals no longer sink politicians. We expect this shit now, so all he has to do is wait it out until the media cycle moves on.

He has petulance, entitlement and arrogance

Bristles when asked stuff like this and doubles down

Plenty of Me & Em dresses and jumpsuits to hire for £40-70 each on Hurr so no need for anyone to bail the Starmers out financially

I’m not sure it works like that. Hospitality boxes are sold per season, AFAIK. I don’t think you can buy the odd ticket for one.

TBH, I don’t think - declared - hospitality is any big deal.

Except that if you’re Mr Hairshirt Goody-Goody Tough Choices Starmer it might be better to avoid freebies altogether!

Yes you can rent a box as a one off.

It is expensive, but it’s available.

Glasses for passes as was in the press over the weekend 🤣🤣

I think it's a pity they didn't declare the Lady S stuff because it's actually not that much in the bigger scheme of things. I'm strugglign to understand what he needed those huge amounts for in relation to HIS wardrobe frankly.

And I agree with a PP - there really should be more discussion of the terrible double standards here for women. She's not elected, has no official role, and yet she is held to a higher standard and if she wasn't dressed appropriately, and fashionably, would be completely ripped apart in the press. What happened to designers and brands lending famous people clothes for the publicity? Is that not a thing anymore?

Oh, ok, thanks. Didn’t know that.

Well, in that case, if Arsenal offer one-off hospitality boxes I can’t see why Starmer shouldn’t fork out if he’s so keen to attend matches.

He doesn’t need to be pitchside, after all, given that he’d be watching the game clearly through his new expensive specs.

they have tiny shoulders

They have slopey shoulders, for sure😂

It would be nice if they donated some of the gifts to charity. Homeless accomodation, refuges, children's centres, care homes, for example.

The problem with this type of patronage is that you always wonder what the donor wants and what he is ultimately getting in return. This has been the revolving door for years.

Alli was ennobled by Blair (seeing a pattern here) and made his fortune in finance and now runs a media company. Currently, we offer a high rate of tax credit to some creative industries. Now, with Labour looking to decrease tax breaks, what if they leave that lucrative tax break (34% tax credit) untouched? Might just be because they genuinely believe it is important to our competitiveness in this area, but might not be, and it will look smelly regardless.

And then if Starmer ends up ‘consulting’ in any of Alli’s or his mates’ businesses post politics, smellier still. It is just feeling so Blairite (and I don’t mean that in a good way).

Starmer has a chance to elevate politics. So far he is blowing it.

The only way Starmer will be elevating politics is if he buys stacked shoes from the generous clothing allowance that Lord Alli bestows on him.

😂😂

No funding for clothes? He and his wife have a combined income of £200,000 a year (I read in a newspaper yesterday) and 3 million in the bank. But they can't manage to buy clothes without funding? Unbelievable.

They should let a pensioner taking the hit on under £12k know they have broader shoulders than this wealth.

Madness