Starmer appears to back Reeves over Sabrina Carpenter freebie
Downing Street said the Prime Minister ‘supports all of his ministers making their own judgments’ over hospitality.
Sir Keir Starmer appeared to back Rachel Reeves amid questions over her acceptance of free tickets to a Sabrina Carpenter show after a Cabinet colleague said they were too busy to attend concerts.
Downing Street said the Prime Minister “supports all of his ministers making their own judgments” over hospitality when asked whether the Chancellor had made the right decision.
Ms Reeves had faced criticism for attending the show earlier this year ahead of imposing cuts to spending, including the benefits bill, as she seeks to balance the books.
The Chancellor has cited security arrangements as her reason for taking the free tickets, for herself and a family member, and said she would declare their value to parliamentary authorities.
Asked whether the Prime Minister thought it was acceptable for ministers to accept lavish gifts while implementing cuts, his official spokesman said Cabinet members were “personally responsible for deciding how to act”.
Pressed on whether Ms Reeves had made the right decision, he said: “Obviously the Prime Minister supports all of his ministers making their own judgments in relation to these matters as per the ministerial code.”
Meanwhile, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander distanced herself from the Chancellor’s decision as she faced questions from broadcasters on Monday’s morning media round.
“I haven’t taken any tickets, to be honest, since I was elected back in (July) as a new Member of Parliament, and going straight into the Ministry of Justice and then coming straight into the Department for Transport,” Ms Alexander told Times Radio.
“I actually, sadly, haven’t been to see any concerts at all over the last nine months, partly because I’ve been very, very busy.”
She added that she had to “prioritise my time” and being “with my family and my husband is actually a more attractive option to me” during time off.
Reeves is paid £67,505 as Chancellor on top of her £91,346 MP’s salary and previously said she would not accept clothing from donors after revelations that she had received £7,500 worth of clothes in opposition.
The so-called “freebies” row, which engulfed Sir Keir’s top team after their election win last year, saw the Prime Minister announcing he would repay the costs of some gifts he received.
However, the Prime Minister defended his acceptance of corporate hospitality from Arsenal football club, citing security as his reason for doing so, similar to Ms Reeves.
He also tightened hospitality rules for ministers to ensure better transparency about what was being donated following the backlash.
The new code introduced last year did not ban ministers from accepting donations but do now require them to consider the “need to maintain the public’s confidence”.
