Minister appears to criticise Chancellor over Sabrina Carpenter freebie

A Government minister appeared to take a swipe at Rachel Reeves’ acceptance of free tickets to a Sabrina Carpenter concert at the O2 arena, saying he would pay for his own attendance at shows.

Matthew Pennycook said he does not “personally think it’s appropriate” to take a hospitality offering to gigs at the venue, which is in his constituency of Greenwich and Woolwich.

The Chancellor had faced criticism over her decision to take free tickets to the show ahead of imposing cuts to spending, including the benefits bill, as she seeks to balance the books.

She has cited security as her reason for accepting the hospitality, for herself and a family member, and said she would declare their value to parliamentary authorities.

Speaking to broadcasters on Tuesday morning, housing minister Mr Pennycook was asked how many times as the local MP he had accepted free tickets to the O2 and said: “Zero.”

Asked why the Chancellor needed to, he told LBC: “I don’t personally think it’s appropriate. If I want to go to a concert at the O2, I’ll pay for it.

“But individual MPs, individual ministers make their own decisions. I think that the important thing is that everything is declared and above board, so individual people can make their choices as to whether they think it’s appropriate to take tickets on occasions.

“I personally haven’t done, as I said, at the O2, and wouldn’t do.”

Allies of Mr Pennycook later said he had been referring to his own position as a constituency MP in relation to the venue and that his comments should not be interpreted as a criticism of anyone else.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “He has made that decision because he wouldn’t go there because it’s in his constituency and he wouldn’t want to have that conflict (of interests), but MPs accept hospitality.”

She told BBC Radio 4’s World at One: “If we’re having a debate that says MPs are not allowed to accept any kind of hospitality whatsoever then that’s a different debate.

“But at the moment the rules are very clear – people should follow the rules and it’s declared in the appropriate way and that’s what the Chancellor did.”

It comes after Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was too busy to attend concerts, telling Times Radio she had to “prioritise my time” and “haven’t taken any tickets, to be honest, since I was elected in (July)”.

Sir Keir Starmer appeared to back the Chancellor, with Downing Street saying the Prime Minister “supports all of his ministers making their own judgments” in relation to accepting hospitality within ministerial rules.

Number 10 said Mr Pennycook had been speaking on “his own behalf”.

Ms 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.

Following the so-called “freebies” row, which engulfed Sir Keir’s top team after their election win last year, the Prime Minister said he would repay the costs of some gifts he received and tightened hospitality rules to ensure better transparency about what was being donated.

However, he defended his acceptance of corporate hospitality from Arsenal football club, citing security as his reason for doing so, similar to Ms Reeves.

The new code introduced last year did not ban ministers from accepting donations but does now require them to consider the “need to maintain the public’s confidence”.

The Tories described Mr Pennycook’s remarks as an “extraordinary slap down” and said that “when senior Labour ministers are openly criticising (Ms Reeves’) judgment it’s no suprise business and investors are as well.”

“This is an extraordinary slap down of the profligate champagne lifestyle Rachel Reeves has been enjoying since becoming Chancellor,” shadow Cabinet Office minister Mike Wood said.

“The Chancellor must kick her addiction to freebies and focus on undoing the damage she’s doing to family finances in her emergency budget tomorrow.”

The Conservative frontbench has also come under scrutiny over freebies, with shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith accepting hospitality worth £4,000 for him and his wife to attend the Bafta awards in February.

He also received ski passes and guiding for two people in Davos, Switzerland, worth £973, and other hospitality valued at £324, according to the register of members’ financial interests.

Mr Griffith insisted his attendance at the Baftas was “quite different”, telling the BBC on the weekend that “a lot of ministers and people from different parties were there as well”.

He claimed that “going and engaging with Swiss parliamentarians, which by the way helps get a Swiss services financial deal, that’s going to create lots of jobs in our economy for a big part of the sector”.