Sir Keir Starmer has been called on to explain whether his ministers will accept Oasis reunion freebies amid an outcry over Taylor Swift tickets.
Shadow Cabinet Office minister John Glen said Labor frontbenchers have been “hit by a series of scandals” involving freebies, as he fielded several questions about the government’s approach to accepting hospitality, gifts and in-kind donations.
The Conservative MP asked if ministers will be “banned from taking rubbish” at next year’s in-demand Oasis reunion gigs, before questioning whether it was “just Taylor Swift who was a handout too far”.
Cabinet Office minister Ellie Reeves did not directly respond to any of the specific questions posed by Glen, but claimed the government would correct a “Tory freebies loophole” when it comes to ministerial declarations on hospitality.
Lists of hospitality received by ministers were published by Whitehall departments once a quarter and did not include the value, while MPs and shadow ministers had to declare their interests within 28 days and include the cost of hospitality, Reeves said.
She said the government will “correct this imbalance”, telling the Commons: “In future the government will publish a register of ministers’ gifts and hospitality on a broadly equivalent basis to that published in the registers of members’ and Lords’ interests. .”
Mr Glen, given an urgent question on the issue, asked: “What gifts and hospitality can ministers now accept? Can the Cabinet continue to party in DJ booths in Ibiza?
“Have all political staff in the Prime Minister’s Parliamentary Office correctly declared their financial interests and hospitality? The new chief of staff’s entry seems very empty.
“Have all ministerial in-kind donations been declared at their full market value? Why are PQs (Parliamentary Affairs) ministers refusing to say when the new ministerial transparency platform will go live?”
Asked if the “sheer scale” of the Prime Minister’s receipt of others’ “largesse” was now a “conflict of interest”, Mr Glen added: “Will (Ms Reeves) confirm that the Prime Minister receives a donation in kind of £100,000 a year from Arsenal Football Club and will he now waive the Football Governance Bill?
“Amid scandals like cash for croissants, ‘Free Gear Keir’ and passports for glasses, where is Labour’s new ethics and integrity commission? And what have employers got in return for their generosity?”
Glen asked in his closing remarks: “Can the minister without portfolio explain to this House why the millionaire prime minister cannot dress without gifts from others?” The Conservative MP shouted “no answers” when Reeves responded.
The minister told his Tory counterpart: “This Government is committed to rebuilding trust in politics.” Pointing to Sir Keir’s decision to commission a new set of principles for gifts and hospitality, she added: “This will ban the Tory freebie loophole because this Government is committed to being more open and transparent than our predecessors. But we will not take some lectures from the opposite party on gifts and hospitality, standards of public life, or confidence in politics.”
Swift was given a motorcycle convoy to protect her on her way to Wembley Stadium despite initial police reservations, The Sun reported.
It emerged that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and London Mayor Sadiq Khan were involved in talks about security for the sold-out summer shows. But Number 10 and the Mayor of London have insisted that the Metropolitan Police make operational decisions independently of politicians.
Prime Minister Sir Keir announced earlier this month that he would pay back more than £6,000 in gifts and hospitality received since taking up No 10 last summer.
This included covering the cost of six Swift tickets, four to the races and a clothing hire deal with an exclusive designer favored by his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer.
Sir Keir has also previously defended his decision to accept hospitality to attend football matches, citing security concerns that prevent him from watching from the stands without a large and expensive police presence.
Former Conservative minister Richard Holden said: “I think the government’s response has been totally tone-deaf to the situation we’ve seen arise, not because of government openness, but actually because of the actions of our popular press.”
For the Liberal Democrats, Sarah Olney called for the government’s independent adviser for ministerial interests to be able to start their own investigations.
Get the best stories from across London straight to your inbox. Sign up for ‘s The 12 HERE to get the biggest stories every day
