to believe Lady Starmer should pay for her own clothes and personal stylists?

[LargeDeviation]

https://news.sky.com/story/starmer-faces-investigation-over-possible-breach-of-parliamentary-rules-after-labour-donor-pays-for-wifes-clothes-13215216

And Keir Starmer should have paid himself for his 'several pairs of glasses' and £19K worth of work clothes? On top of that there was £20K for accommodation for Sir Keir and another 'similar sum' on 'private office' costs.

Purely by coincidence, it seems the donor was given a Downing Street security pass allowing easy access to the corridors of power without any role in government.

And yes, Carrie and Boris Johnson should have paid for their wallpaper and hampers too, that is just as sleazy.

Seriously?

Why can't they buy clothes as business expenses if they need something to wear to work.

Why would you accept private donations and lend yourself open to claims of influence or favouritism.

@TheBers2024 because under current tax rules, clothes (unless company branded) and not allowed as a business expense. Unless you are the PM or his wife of course! It’s bullshit!

We had anti-corruption training at my last job and it was made very clear that gift giving was unacceptable and a form of bribery

All of them are a shower of self absorbed, self serving twats. I despair!!!

The majority seem to be vile, greedy leeches.

This is the truth no matter what colour the rosette is.

I have no problem with donations for campaign funding but apart from that I don't think our elected representatives should be able to profit from their position as an MP.

That means no free gifts of any description and no second jobs. I also don't think they should be able to take on unpaid roles such as trustees for charities which receive any public funding and I don't think they should hold "unpaid" advisory roles for "think tanks" aka lobby groups.

My MP looks like he's already lining up a nice little earner in the arms/defence business for when he decides to leave politics. Does anyone seriously think that Nick Clegg would be earning 15 million a year at meta if he hadn't been Deputy PM.

Before I retired, I worked mostly at board level, as a self-employed contractor. I could hardly turn up in a company branded polo shirt and cargo trousers like my DH provides for his team. So I bought the nice suits out of my profits. One navy, one black, one brown, and rotated them with a suite of blouses. The same as any professional woman working in an office. There was no tax allowance to pay for them.

All those dull crumpled Me + Em dresses don't sell themselves you know 😂

They may not be to your taste @user47 but they sell well to mid-life women who don't want to show off their abs in the latest styles! At 68, and fairly fit and toned, I don't want to reveal skin to anyone except DH. Wrists and ankles excepted.

My wrists and ankles are still neat and pretty.

Exactly. It doesn't take a lot to work out how this works in politics.

It's interesting that Alli and Me and Em feature on Rayners donors as well: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/regmem/?p=25429
I wonder if he is/was involved in their huge financing push in 2022.....

The thing is, I would actually mind a lot less if it wasn’t a case of us serfs having to cut our cloth, stop driving, turn the heating off over winter and take on extra jobs to make ends meet. I simply cannot stand the us and them organisation of this country. The rich and powerful are allowed to be super rich and powerful. Whilst we are not allowed to benefit more than just a little from often working around the clock and in more than one job. It’s utterly shameful. And when you sell yourself as the good party, the party of the people, expectations are that you won’t turn out to be a self serving politician.

We have to watch our taxes be frittered away abroad and we’ll all freeze because of their crazy climate policy. They should lead by example.

Quite

It’s really disappointing and crazy. What kind of message did they think this would send? There is definitely a case for a PM to be paid more than £160k a- that’s pretty much a ‘head of’ middle to senior manager salary in a financial services firm - but cashing in on freebies while taking the fuel allowance from OAPs on 13k is such a bad look and seems massively lacking in political judgement

It's not the length/coverage - I love some Kemi Telford for example and am a modest dresser myself. So much Me + Em is synthetic and over priced - and that suit Rayner wore did no one any favours. Yes a certain sort of willowy upper middle class lady can carry it off but imo there are much nicer and more considerately produced clothes at that price point.

DH used to give small Christmas gifts, a torch, a calendar or a box of biscuits sort of thing, to his main contacts. Obviously all branded but now he's not permitted to do anything except the biscuits. One per department, and apparently very much gobbled up. Much nicer than Aldi Rich Tea equivalents. But unlikely to sway decisions.

Crap story for a slow news day. Couldn't give a monkey's myself.

Well that’s champagne socialism for you.

For me, not for you.

Slow news day?

So much going on right now

I'd have to agree with you on the styles @user47 . I like Me&Em's catalogues and look books, but the clothes are mostly quite expensive and they tend to swamp me, so I'm not a devotee. The puffed shoulders are a particular betise. I loathe puffed sleeves with a passion.

We’re not though. We’re talking about £250 dresses from Me+Em. There’s no necessity to wear dresses costing thousands for state occasions, one little black dress looks very much like another.

At least the wallpaper was stuck to the wall and left behind when they left. Two tier’s glasses will presumably only benefit him.

The wallpaper was painted over by 2022.

I remember Michael Foot being ripped apart for appearing at the Cenotaph in his donkey jacket
If we want our PM and his wife representing our country in Primarks finest then OK. I don't see a great issue with a clothes allowance for someone who is going to be scrutinised like the PM and their spouse is.
I think the problem with Boris' wallpaper is that most people would think £30k is more than enough to redecorate a flat which will only ever be a temporary residence. They just had to go over the top

Alternatively, tell me you’ve spectacularly missed the point, without telling me… 🤣🤣