Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has finally disclosed she received thousands of pounds worth of “work clothes” from a wealthy peer after she was forced to update her entry in the register of interests.
It has now emerged that Angela Rayner has joined the growing list of Labour MPs who have received generous clothing “gifts” from millionaire Labour donor Lord Alli.
Rayner initially listed the sum from Lord Alli as a “donation in kind,” but later after contacting the Registrar of MPs’ Interests was told to set the record straight and clarify that £3,550 was actually for her clothing.
The revelations come as questions about wealthy donors continue to cast a shadow over Labour’s leadership, now under fire for an array of lavish perks including stays at multimillion-pound penthouses, extravagant birthday parties, Taylor Swift tickets, and other high-end ‘gifts.
The generosity of Lord Alli, a prominent Labour donor, has put a yet another spotlight on Labour’s relationship with moneyed benefactors and his extensive gifting to senior Labour figures. Prime Minister Keir Starmer himself is reported to have accepted a remarkable £32,000 worth of clothing from Alli, including donations valued at £10,000 in October 2023 and another £6,000 in February 2024.
But the largesse doesn’t stop with clothes. Lord Alli’s luxury properties have also been open to Labour’s top brass. Starmer was provided with free accommodation in Lord Alli’s £18 million London penthouse during the election campaign so his son “could revise” for his exams in some peace and quiet. A stay which was valued at over £20,000. However, eyebrows were raised when it was discovered Starmer continued to use the property for weeks after his son’s GCSE exams had actually finished.
The Register of Members’ Financial Interests also shows items such as Lord Alli providing £17,650 to Rayner to “support her role” as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and treating her and her partner, former Labour MP Sam Tarry, to his New York apartment last winter. At the time Rayner listed it as a “personal holiday”, with a declared estimated value of £1,250 for five nights’ accommodation.
Rayner’s taste for “freebies” has not gone unnoticed, with critics branding her a “hypocrite” as her acceptance of luxury gifts starkly contrasts with her regular lectures on collectivism and fairness. And the trail of gifts doesn’t end there. Alli was also revealed as the benefactor behind Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s lavish 40th birthday celebration.
In the face of public backlash, the Prime Minister, Ms Rayner, and Chancellor Rachel Reeves have now pledged to turn down future clothing donations, and Lord Alli, who was swiftly granted a Downing Street pass following Labour’s ascent to government has been made to return it.
Lord Alli was also recently referred to the Lords Standards Commissioner over a possible breach of conduct for failing to disclose a series of business interests and a charitable foundation. The commissioner has recommended that the peer issue a formal apology.
Rayner has defended his donations saying: “I get that people are frustrated, in particular given the circumstances we’re in, but donations for gifts and hospitality have been a feature of our politics for a very long time.”
However, Conservative and Reform MPs are quick to point out their donors don’t get given passes into the heart of government. A senior former Conservative MP said: “Certain Labour MPs appear not to have disclosed their donations properly. Are they coming clean only once they’ve been rumbled? Plus questions still remain as to why Lord Alli was given a No 10 pass. Cronyism must have no place in British politics.”
For now, Labour’s leadership is under the microscope, and the British public awaits to see whether this latest pledge of transparency from Labour is genuine, or whether yet more secrets are stashed away, waiting to surface.
Main photo credit: UK Government. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner. Photo licenced at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ CC BY 2.0
