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Monday 19 August 2024

A penchant for freebies



Keir Starmer received £4,000 Taylor Swift tickets in freebies latest

Will Keir Starmer’s penchant for freebies continue now that he is prime minister? The first MPs’ Register of Interests for the new parliament was released on Friday, where members must list any donations, gifts and hospitality they have received.

It shows that Sir Keir received four hospitality tickets worth £4,000 to see Taylor Swift perform at the O2 in June. The VIP seats came courtesy of the Premier League, who are no doubt pleased to have a football-mad PM. In the last year Starmer has accepted over £18,500 worth of free tickets to see his beloved Arsenal play.

 


Meanwhile British clothing brand ME+EM was pronounced “the go-to label” for Labour women this summer after Victoria Starmer and Angela Rayner wore an assortment of their power suits and dresses. It turns out that the brand sent Rayner £2,230 worth of free clothes at the end of June.

At the time it didn't occur to me that Angela's green suit was a fashion item, I just assumed she bought it online in a hurry after the election. Shows how easy it is to miss things by skimming the media instead of reading it.

Slippery slopes and all that, but maybe it suggests we shouldn't read too much into a penchant for freebies among the actors on our political stage. Taylor Swift tickets may be saleable, but not much else and Angela's peculiar green suit doesn't do much for her image. What would? 

8 comments:

Doonhamer said...

The Rayner freebie suit seems to come with a synthetic dick. Appropriately enough, a small one, in semi mode.
And in the pocket a Bilbo toy (batteries not included. But that is what expenses are for.)

DiscoveredJoys said...

These are not 'freebies' - they are offerings to appease the Great and Good. Danegeld to appease the invading Wokings.

A K Haart said...

Doonhamer - I think she is tooled up for those rough cabinet meetings.

DJ - and apparently pitched low enough to leave a sense of mild obligation without raising too many eyebrows.

johnd said...

None of them seem to register the hypocrisy of accepting all these freebies ,when the mere plebs are struggling with rising living costs including those directly caused by the Government itself.

James Higham said...

If it’s wrong, if it’s tacky … Labour apparatchiki can be relied upon to do it. Remember the Chipmunk and others … the expenses scandal for one? Two Homes Raynor?

A K Haart said...

John - that's the sleazy aspect, not the size of the freebies but accepting the personal nature of them. "It's for you Minister, not the plebs."

James - yes, wrong and tacky seems to be the guideline. The tacky aspect tells us what they are as much as the wrong.

Nobby Aristotle said...

Basically at this stage I'm in the who gives a fuck zone.
Anyone who didn't vote Labour should shut up, take the medicine that the Tories prescribed for refusing to properly enact Brexit and watch the Pound Shop politicians in power fuck it up for themselves.
They'll do nothing about illegal or legal migration even while the stabbings of innocent people by them will become an even more regular occurence.
Rachel Thieves will turn out to be one of the most incompetent Chancellors of recent years and taxes will climb steeply to pay for her radical agenda.
The Tories will elect a white, middle-aged chinless wonder like Jenrick or Tugatwat instead of the black,female leader like Badenoch they need to have a hope of winning the next election. No-one trusts them any more and their natural voters are dying anyway.
The void will be filled by Farage. It's why both Tories and Labour attack Reform because they know it is their biggest threat.
And if you don't already know who he is Google Zia Yusuf. You're going to be hearing a lot about him in the next five years.
It's time to sit back and enjoy the carnage for a while before the serious work begins.

A K Haart said...

Nobby - I'm much the same, I should care because Labour is no answer to the Tory mess, but I'm happy enough to sit back and watch. I've come across Zia Yusuf while browsing Reform material and yes, we'll hear more of him.

I don't see the Tories electing anyone worthwhile as their new leader either. It's possible but the party is stuffed with wet safe seat MPs who don't get it because they never did.