I am a Labour voter, a Labour supporter and I do not regret my vote.

[CurlewKate]

However, I think that Starmer has been incredibly stupid and/or very badly advised over this expenses issue. He has done nothing wrong, but his behaviour is not what he led us to believe he would do, and I am incredibly exasperated and disappointed.

In my opinion, he should admit that he made a massive misjudgement, and agree to take no more freebies from now on.

Apart from anything else anything which allows people to say "They are all as bad as each other" (they aren't) is a distraction from the real issues the country faces. He should be laser focussed on repairing the damage caused by 14 years of Tory misrule. Not scrambling around dealing with peripheral stuff.
Starmer-say sorry. Don't do it again. And get back to work.

Oh and the resigning thing. That's not particularly due to them being open to accusations of being bribed. It's more the juxtaposition of receiving large sums of cash and treats personally and then removing the WFA from pensioners claiming we all have no money. It's going to be a hard sell for them and I wonder if they are now too compromised to get stuff done.

It’s the hypocrisy that’s so revolting.

”Tory sleaze! Tory sleaze!” Get to fuck, Labour, you hypocrites.

Nope its the way well known Tories have spent years excusing Tory Gift Taking but object to Labour behaving equally badly.

My position is consistent, ANY individual politician accepting gifts shouldn't be & neither should parties, for exactly the same reasons.

But the rules are what they are, successive Govts of all colours, inc the coalition, haven't seen fit to change any of this.

But you re all ok with Jenrik criticising Starmer, even though he broke the rules and made a friend of his extremely rich by pushing through a dev that had previously been rejected!!!

Hypocrisy is a charge that can be thrown at all parties but you wont see that.

Yes I expect you are right. Good you bring in the Tories too. It slightly lessens the focus on Labour. I did wonder how this would be spun.

KS continually took the moral high ground that is why his actions seem so hypocritical. This comes over so badly so quickly, pointing at the Tories and saying they are worse does not help.

It's so predictable. And depressing. Nothing ever changes.

What is most telling about this is the fact that in many other countries people would be asking why the PM has enough time to attend the football/Taylor Swift rather than work all hours on pressing issues facing the country.

Whereas here the narrative is about taking from a donor and how much it all is worth.

We are a country of schemers and chancers and play the system, all the way from the bottom to the top. But at least we know how to have a good time!

I think the problem fundamentally comes down to the fact that he’s saying he stuck to the rules. Theres a difference between whats legal and whats moral sometimes. Labour definitely portray themselves as morally superior but they seem to not understand how immoral it all seems to normal people who pay for their own clothes. I’d actually have a lot of respect for a PM that showed up in a suit from NEXT. It’s like the difference between equal and fair. It doesn’t really matter if he didn’t break the rules. It’s like saying “I cheated on my wife yeah, but it’s not illegal is it!?” Just because you didn’t break the law, doesn’t make anyone think you aren’t less of a twat.

It seems unethical tbh, I hope other politicians are watching and having a good long think about what kind of gifts they are happy to accept.

Yes 100%

I'm not pointing at the TOries and saying they are worse, i'm asking why weren't some all up in arms when they were doing exactly the same?

I think people were tbh. I think Kiers own morality schtick just makes it slightly more galling,

I listened to Jenrik on LBC in the car this morning and he was making himself sound like a bit of a racist. But I bet even that is staged and someone has advised him that he needs to be that way to attract voters back from Reform.

The elite in charge, Sunak/Starmer all of them - they are cast form the same cloth. They literally just spout the nonsense whatever political advisor has told them to do to play the left or right game. I am surprised anyone would fall for any of it.

Selling in pre GE on change and 'service' does make the whole freebie grab this

And Farage is the most conventional and attention seeking of them all! And now apparently Holly Valance is joining his ship.

Remember Mick Jagger middle class, grammar boy said there was not much difference between being a pop star and a politician in the UK.

I feel this post may be the very definition of "whataboutery". The Tories did it too you know. So let's focus more on them everyone!

I do get your point but TBF Keir was the MP that was the highest recipient of cash and stuff. And the most disapproving when the Conservatives did it.

Keir has been very unlucky in that the first month or so has been a perfect storm of f**k ups by Labour all at the same time. And it's from a very unloved government. So people aren't minded to give him the benefit of the doubt unfortunately.

Hardly a surprise

You'd have to explain?

I ve said repeatedly that what Labour have done is wrong/hypocritical.

& the focus should of course be on Labour, they are now in power.

Why is it unreasonable to then ask why people who are equally incensed at this behavior weren't when the Tories were/are doing it?

@Araminta1003 "What is most telling about this is the fact that in many other countries people would be asking why the PM has enough time to attend the football/Taylor Swift rather than work all hours on pressing issues facing the country."

Really? I doubt it. And anyway, I think our legislators should take proper holidays and rest. They can't possibly do their jobs properly if they don't.

Boris Johnson paid for his tasteless wallpaper in the end and the donor was refunded after the media storm - are you suggesting that Keir Starmer should do the same?

In March [2021] Downing Street insisted Johnson had met all the costs personally. It later turned out others had originally footed the bill but he then came up with the money himself and the original payees were refunded.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jan/06/what-did-second-investigation-into-boris-johnson-flat-refurb-find

Good question, would pp like Keir, Reeves and Rayner to repay the £ for glasses, clothes and NYC?

@Nordione1 "I feel this post may be the very definition of "whataboutery". The Tories did it too you know. So let's focus more on them everyone!"

That really isn't what I said if you reread my message. Could we possibly have a sensible, intelligent conversation?

@iwishihadknownmore - I think people were very incensed when the Tories did it! That is why Labour got in. But remember the Tories created Brexit and presided over Covid, the biggest event in the last 100 years.

However, now most people just want them to shut up and do not much at all. It is almost like we do not need them. Make some noise on the side, but let the rest of us crack on. It is almost like they are puppets anyway. The less interference from them, the better. Most voters want the civil service, the people in the NHS, those in Education, those in the military to just make the right decisions. And what exactly do the Central Government politicians do? Bit of noise as to how the funds are allocated to the various departments. And a bit of wrangling with the press.
In a peace time situation, they do not really have an important role.

Yes because Labour are now in power. And who says people weren't incensed at the Tories when they got free stuff. (Although it wasn't most of the Cabinet tbf).

And also because Labour have been holding themselves out, prior to the election, as "the adults in the room"; more honourable, honest and trustworthy than the Conservatives. They have then done what they criticised the Conservatives for doing. In fact they have been worse. And they knew it because they disguised the personal gifts of cash and benefits with weasely admin language when they declared it. So they knew they were doing the wrong thing.

I'd focus on the Labour Party. They can't blame the Conservatives for this one. And if anything is going to change they need to take responsibility for it and not blame the other side for their own actions. Or say why aren't you telling those other children off too!!??

They are either moral in which case they will want to take responsibility for their actions. Or immoral in which case they will want to share or try and shift the blame. Or deny it.

Er, on that reasoning, why were Labour shouting about sleaze?

More to the point, so far as I know neither Jenrick nor the Tories campaigned on their superior ethical standards. So, all considered, it’s Labour that’s the present gold medal winner, by a long margin, in hypocrisy.

And this sort of hypocrisy is a strong indication of dishonesty. If you want proof of that just look at Labour’s fierce opposition to a cut in WFA 10 months ago…you’d have been led to think they wouldn’t make that cut, wouldn’t you?

Oh goodness me @CurlewKate . Again?? Someone else's post!