Starmer son finds a quiet place to study for GCSEs

[justasking111]

Can't berate Starmer for this but think some parents will be aghast.

"PM suggests £20,000 accommodation donation was for 'son to find somewhere for GCSE revision' | Evening Standard" https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/keir-starmer-donation-son-gcse-housing-acoommodation-prime-minister-b1183972.html

Rich people have rich friends and I can see why they’d spend holidays in each other’s houses. The clothes and glasses, not acceptable, feels a bit grubby. Now they’re actually in power, I hope they learn from this that it was a stupid thing to do and bloody pay for it themselves. I read that the crinkled look is in fashion this Autumn, so this is my 2p for an up to date look with minimal expense and effort.

I had high hopes of Starmer but I find this and the free clothes disgusting. The worst kind of champagne socialist. Ugh. I'm so disappointed.

Here, style inspo from Milan Fashion Week

I thought that despite the strange (and strangely expensive) glasses, boring delivery, traditional Labour leader nasal speech impediment and uninspired policies we would at the very least have the promised honest and straightforward moral leadership. Strange how differently things have turned out.

I don't understand why Starmer who used to head the CPS and is a lawyer could possibly have thought accepting this was a good thing to do. I vote Conservative but I stiil was happy to give Starmer a fair chance. No politician should accept even those gifts they are allowed to accept. I would rather he wore a second hand suit and his child went to a public library to revise than this kind of gift be given by Waheed Alli

@Fintoo are you joking? Of course he was constantly besieged my media.

In fairness, you already have people mocking Labour politicians for how they speak (Rayner, even the little dig 2 posts above about nasal speech), I can understand wanting to look dapper and aspirational. He can still afford half a dozen suits out of his own money.

Yes I can see how he would be, particularly when in Opposition. He's very charismatic and exciting. Like a Kardashian or someone.

Vanity is a sin.

What's wrong with how Angela Raynor speaks btw?

I don’t know, just saw mention of it on here (different threads), also about the dress of another Labour female politician. So you’d think people don’t care enough to make catty remarks, you’d be wrong. Still no excuse for accepting freebies BTW. They’ve also been in politics for long enough to know how to dress. I’d be all at sea if I was suddenly a PM, what do I wear?, but they’ve had time to prepare for the big jobs.

You know this wasn't a freebie. His son went to stay with a friend. No money was involved. Do you pay tax when you stay with a friend?

I reckon it was the other way round. KS wanted his son out of the way so that he could focus on campaigning, and didn't have to listen to son's anxieties about exams or hear wife berating son for not revising enough or listen to endless repetition of quotes from Macbeth.

I was thinking about the clothes and glasses in this instance.

@Viewfrommyhouse He could not use Chequers until after the election! That was 4 July from memory. Too late for decision. For A levels, it has everything anyone could want!

I’m inclined to agree with you. It would help Starmer no end if he changed the rules so that was the way it worked.

Oh well a Labour peer won't be seeking favours, it was merely a generous gift. Jolly nice for the boy and unlike the other gifts, not our business.

I hope he got 9 As after his stay in the 18m penthouse flat

Does anyone know what Lord Ally or whatever gets in return for these favours - at least it's not the Chinese or Iran!

Would you not find is suspicious if said friend, was also buying you clothes, glasses, lending his properties and giving gifts for your work colleagues.

I am a bit confused. Was it just the son that went? Or was it the whole family? Bit unusual for a 16 year old to move out and go stay with a ‘family friend’ all alone. Further away from the school he needs to travel to for his exams. I am guessing it would be further away from his school. Was the starmers home surrounded by the media even when he was travelling for the election? What about his daughter? Was she fine to put up with the media outside?

What about his wife? Was she spending time between their house with their daughter and the flat with their son AND working full time?

Besides which, politicians aren’t normal people. The point is that Labour and KS specifically has spent years banging on about all the freebies and back handers the Tories got. Then do exactly the same.

In my job we deal with government contracts. There’s really strict rules about gifts to and from clients. Not a chance would we be allowed to gift clients clothes, glasses, places to stay and so on. I have to declare all gifts before I accept them. Even down to Christmas gifts they drop at the office, which could be 10 boxes of quality streets for the office. Personal gifts are a no no. There would be huge concern if someone was directly gifting me clothes, use of their properties and the. Doing the same for my colleagues and my teams.

Theres all sorts of tax rules around benefit in kind. KS got use of that flat directly, because of his job. I bet no one would have been lending him the flat if he was leader of the opposition.

If you are in politics there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Donations to a political party are fine. Gifts and favours to an individual are not. And if anyone believes all these gifts, including letting your child have use of a property, doesn’t have strings attached then they are incredibly naive. Politicians should be eager to make sure they always appear impartial.

Was it for the son or for the whole family? And if KS felt he needed to relocate his family, why didn’t he do the right thing and pay for it himself so no one could accuse him of being a hypocrite? Or accuse him of taking favours to further someone’s else agenda?

It’s not ok when the Tories do it. It’s not ok when Labour do it either.

They stayed well after GCSEs finished.

It's not about the comparison with the Tories or breaking the rules. I think most of the electorate thought he wouldn't do any of grabby things that have come to light. The difference between nothing and something is big and arguably bigger that something and something bigger.

They stayed well after GCSEs finished.

Why did 'his boy' need quiet then?

@Portalsalways a good post.

I’m glad there’s scrutiny of this and that the media have suddenly found their fricking backbone again. This can’t be repeated.

You're right the split is obvious

He won't give up football freebies, and no one will give up free stays in rich homes, tickets etc

Only clothes

TLDR but I went to stay with a family friend for a few weeks before my exams at 16. I was too distracted at home and needed to focus so I did exactly the same, and went home at weekends. Minus the clothes and glasses!

I bet no one would have been lending him the flat if he was leader of the opposition.

He was leader of the opposition when the flat was loaned. 🙄