The growing Labour freebie scandal is now even making Germans tut as the controversy grabs their headlines.
The new PM Keir Starmer and Labour have come under increasing pressure in its ongoing freebies row. It was recently revealed that Starmer has accepted over £107,000 in gifts including clothing, hospitality and Taylor Swift tickets since 2019, more than two and a half times more than any other MP.
Reports emerged that Starmer had initially failed to declare £5,000 of gifts used to purchase clothes for his wife, Victoria Starmer, from Labour donor Lord Alli, and it’s now been revealed that he accepted accommodation worth £20,000 from him for somewhere his son could study for his GCSEs. The former ASOS chairman has also £3,550 worth of clothes to Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner in June.
Now, it seems the controversy has spread beyond the UK, with newspaper articles in Germany now reporting on the issue.
“I see @Keir_Starmer and @UKLabour are getting lots of coverage in #Germany – for all the wrong reasons including @taylorswift14 tickets & other #freebies,” Ray Massey, Motoring Editor and Columnist for the Daily Mail posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
He added: “How embarrassing for our nation.”
The article was published in the Die Welt publication on September 26 and read: “British media had reported on this [the freebie controversy] before the conference began. Other high-ranking Labour politicians also came under fire.
“Politicians are allowed to accept gifts, but the news came at an inopportune time in light of announced austerity measures.”
The article continued: “While the British were supposed to tighten their belts, Starmer was being invited to Taylor Swift concerts and was dressed in free designer fashion, or so it was perceived.
“The Prime Minister’s rating plummeted in the polls – after only ten weeks in office.”
“After months of peak poll results, which culminated in a landslide victory in the general election in July, the delegates [at the Labour Conference] found out how quickly the trust that many Britons had given the party can be used up,” the German newspaper article continued.
“With this depressing certainty in mind, the MPs discussed the planned new beginning for Britain after 14 years of Conservative government.”
According to YouGov earlier this month, Starmer’s favorability ratings have fallen to their lowest levels since he became prime minister.
Just a third of Britons, 35 percent, now have a favourable view of the Labour leader, the fewest since June and down from 44 percent after the election.
Since coming into power, nine Labour MPs have been gifted tickets to see the American popstar – at a combined value of £17,102.54. Among them are health secretary, Wes Streeting, and education secretary, Bridget Phillipson.
Asked about the gift on ITV News, Phillipson said: “I’ll be honest it was a hard one to turn down. I appreciate there was big demand for tickets, it was a privilege to be there.
“One of my children was keen to go along it’s hard to say no if you are offered tickets in those circumstances.”