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.

I'm fairly sure the DPP can move without heavier security than Rishi or Prince William and without requiring the donation of a very expensive hospitality box.

Who is the current DPP by the way? We can compare hospitality requirements.

@Nordione1 "I thought you had conceded that Starmer and Labour are wrong to do this"

I have. I am infuriated by it.

What I object to here is the suggestion that Starmer is unique in being "dressed by other men."

His dad is on record as saying Kier worked one of his machines for a while after university. It wasn’t a lock up.

I’m more interested that no one has mentioned Starner’s stint in the trilateral commission though. That’s quite an exclusive membership of “elite” undermining the UK.

I do think that’s more disqualifying than misleading about his background.

I think he is though. And apparently he received the highest personal donations of an MP ever.

The "other men" line was just to emphasise the fact that Victoria was being bought expensive clothes by a man other than her husband or male relative and everyone is interested to know what he got in return. I don't think my husband would be happy with that and neither would he want other men to buy his clothes. I'm old fashioned like that. Not like Starmer and Victoria obviously. We assume it was to buy the pass to Number 10 but who knows. And that's the danger of doing what they've been doing.

No need to fixate on the "other men" line though unless you feel you need to distract from the real issues. But it's your thread obvs so go ahead if you need to.

Really due to DPP?

I haven't heard that one so far. Did he get the security then and how about for the current one

The thing is, it's perfectly possible to look smart and professional buying clothes from high street shops. Why do they need to have branded high cost clothes? £2500 for a pair of glasses?

Another thing I find hard to stomach is Rachel Reeve cutting penisoners' fuel payment while getting taxpayers to pay over £3,000 in fuel payments for her second home.

Actually just checked and it was £4,400 she claimed in heating costs. Her house must be 30C all year round!

He went to both Leeds and Oxford - graduate from Leeds and post-graduate from Oxford

OK I've just fact checked my own post. Reuters says it was £2700 not £4,400 as reported by the Telegraph. Still!

https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/uks-reeves-does-not-have-3400-pound-heating-allowance-contrary-online-claims-2024-08-06/

Some MPs just will not learn the lesson of the expenses scandal. It's unbelievable! That's our money she's putting into her bank account. All that bloody tax we have to cough up.

Actually he is an Oxford graduate, that's where he did his post grad. Maybe you need to learn some things

I think a woman on Newsnight highlighted the fact that 6700 pensioners could have WFA with the money MPs claim for heating their second homes.

Surely Starmer went to Arsenal perfectly normally when he was DPP? If he didn’t, and needed special security and a gift of a private box, I’m sure he’d have said so. I thought the whole point was that the security was supposedly needed after he became LOTO and then PM, not before.

👆😆

@5byfive whats the trilateral commission something else to enrage me I bet x

Exactly. He did write factory in that link. And we know he employed at least one person, his son. It isn’t beyond the realms of possibility that Starmer senior employed more than one person.

And yes as pointed out upthread no experience anywhere in government! Reeves Rayner Lamy just all dreadful imbeciles

"The best indicator of Labour’s hypocrisy and, frankly, dishonesty is their vehement opposition to any WFA cut when in opposition and their decision to do just that immediately on taking office."

Fucking THIS! Bloody hell. They are completely immoral.

That seems excessively harsh and a bit rude. It’s generally Labour supporters who stoop to that sort of thing. I’d leave them to it.

But I agree that Lammy is a major liability.

You can run a business on your own or with employees without registering with CH, was far more common in the past.

Also CH records are not comprehensive, least not to the general public on older companies that are defunct, I was doing a bit of family history research about a company run by a relative, established around 1914, defunct around 1960, employed about 100, was a limited company, lots of evidence it existed (ie press adverts) but CH have no records.

Think WEF/Davos which he admitted valuing more than Westminster but even more elite and stuffed with Rockefeller type bankers and CIA. .

He's so funny! And this was Corbyn's right hand man too (Although we aren't allowed to mention that). What a turnaround.

@Rummly truthful I would say Lammy is very dangerous the other two uneducated
@5byfive yrp that’ll do it I am enraged his what the fuck is happening to this country/world alot of people telling people how to think

Well, all Politicians lie, i wont argue with you on that as does everyone else, its a human trait.

But on his background & education, he seems pretty up front about that.

I also believe that his sister works or at least did work until v recently as a care worker, seems to back up his WC roots.

His wife changed careers and now works as a occupational health worker in the NHS.

I would suggest that he has a more grounded view on life in the UK for most of us than many other previous PMs, Lab or Tory.

Now he has to deliver but WFA and now expenses have been shocking waste of political goodwill, his approval ratings have plummeted before he has even started.

You have to wonder who’s advising him. So many bloody mistakes messes ill conceived policies