LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has paid back more than 6,000 pounds ($8,000) worth of gifts, including Taylor Swift concert tickets, officials said on Wednesday, following a row over donations to senior figures in the ruling Labour Party.

Starmer and members of his top team have been criticised for accepting ten of thousands of pounds of freebies from wealthy donors, in particular an unelected lawmaker.

All of the donations were within parliament’s rules but Starmer has faced accusations of hypocrisy since the furore comes as he is asking ordinary Britons to tighten their belts. Following a backlash, he announced an overhaul of hospitality rules for government ministers to try to ensure better transparency around what is accepted.

“The prime minister has commissioned a new set of principles on gifts and hospitality to be published as part of the updated ministerial code,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.

“Ahead of the publication of the new code, the prime minister has paid for several entries on his own register. This will appear in the next register of members’ interests.”

In Brussels, where he met senior European Union leaders, Starmer said “some principles of general application” were needed surrounding gifts.

“I took the position that until the principles are in place it was right for me to make those repayments,” he told reporters.

Starmer is covering the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets from Universal Music Group worth 2,800, as well as four horse racing tickets worth almost 2,000. He is also paying for two football tickets worth almost 600 and an 839 clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer admired by his wife.

The row over the gifts overshadowed the run-up to Labour’s annual conference last month, its first since the centre-left party returned to power in July after 14 years in opposition.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2024