Sir Keir Starmer has launched a battle against accusations that his government is mired in “immorality, cronyism and greed” by announcing the rules on declaring donations and gifts will be changed.
The prime minister and a number of cabinet ministers have been criticized for accepting thousands of pounds worth of freebies from corporate sponsors and millionaire donors, and the scandal has also hit the party at the polls.
In a bid to get the government back on track, Pat McFadden, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who runs the Cabinet Office, the “engine room” of Whitehall, announced rules for ministers would be tightened.
He claimed the current rules were a “Tory loophole” designed to protect previous Conservative ministers. The move came as follows:
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Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield quit Labor, accusing Sir Keir of presiding over “immorality, nepotism and blatant greed”, and then claimed the prime minister “has a women’s problem”.
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Mr McFadden dismissed clothing donations of £16,000 for Sir Keir’s clothes and £32,000 to ministers and their spouses as “campaign expenses”
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Loyalist Labor MPs launch what appears to be a coordinated attack on Sir Keir against ‘right-wing conspiracy’
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The Conservative Party opened its conference in Birmingham after senior figures within the party expressed “deep concerns” that the party was not offering meaningful opposition.
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Row breaks out among Tory leadership hopefuls over Kemi Badenoch’s comments on ‘excessive’ maternity pay
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Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak went into hiding and gave a private speech only to a select group of Tory members.
Mr McFadden said that under current guidance, details of hospitality received by ministers in their ministerial capacity are published by departments, but these are only published quarterly and do not include value, unlike MPs’ benefits, which are published fortnightly and include estimated cost. .
Speaking about the new changes, Mr McFadden said: “Going forward we will make clear in the ministerial code that both ministers and shadow ministers must be subject to the same disclosure rules.
“This was a Conservative loophole that was introduced to hold an event where the Tory minister would be there, the opposite number of the Labor shadow would be there and the Tory minister would not need to make a statement.
“This was Tory rule. “We think this is unfair, so we will close this loophole so ministers and shadow ministers are treated the same from now on.”
Transparency International welcomed the government’s proposal to change the rules.
Rose Whiffen, speaking on behalf of the campaign group, said: “We welcome this move to end the two-tier system, which means ministers closest to power can offer less information about their hospitality and do so less frequently.” colleagues in the back row.
“Furthermore, to demonstrate his commitment to improving trust, the prime minister should publish a ministerial code containing promised changes that will also strengthen the role of independent counsel.”
Sir Keir has faced criticism after it was revealed he personally accepted more than £100,000 in gifts.
Ms Duffield announced her decision to leave the Labor Party in an open letter to the Prime Minister at the weekend.
He wrote: “Someone with well-above-average wealth prefers to keep the Conservatives’ two-child limit on welfare payments, which drives children into poverty, and inexplicably accepts expensive personal gifts such as designer suits and glasses that cost more than most of these people.” “You can see – he is certainly not worthy of the title of Labor Prime Minister.”
Ms Duffield, whose relations with the Labor Party have been strained over her views on transgender issues, continued to criticize Sir Keir’s leadership of the party, saying he “never interacted regularly” with backbench MPs and “lacked basic policies and policies”. Political instincts”.
He added: “The filth, nepotism and blatant greed are over the top. I am deeply ashamed of what you and your inner circle have done to tarnish and humiliate our once proud party.”
His letter stated that he planned to serve as an Independent MP and would be “guided by my core Labor Party values”.
But Labor MPs and colleagues have launched a fight on social media to defend the embattled prime minister.
Siobhain McDonagh, Labor MP for Mitcham and Morden, published an article by. Independent‘s John Rentoul adds: “Keir Starmer’s capture is exactly what the right-wing media want | Independent – 100%. Thank you.”
Former deputy leader Tom Watson replied: “I agree.”
Some party figures also made clear they were not upset by Ms Duffield’s departure, highlighting her abstention in the last winter fuel vote.
Meanwhile, as the Tory conference gets underway in Birmingham, senior figures in the Conservative Party have revealed they believe the ongoing four-month leadership contest with the final four candidates means the party “does not provide meaningful opposition”.
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak, currently leader of the party, does not even make a public speech at the conference; instead it will appeal only to a select group of the National Conservative Convention.
A former senior minister has questioned whether Labour’s plans for transparency make sense.
Former Tory minister Sir Jake Berry rejected Mr McFadden’s claims and said most clothing, designer eyewear, use of luxury flats and tickets to events such as Taylor Swift concerts were not covered by ministerial exemptions.
he said Independent: “This is really a smokescreen. When we were ministers, we had to declare almost all of these gifts in our parliamentary duties. There was no exemption.
“For things like clothes, it’s interesting that donors like Lord Alli can make a general donation to the party for campaign funds, which can then be spent on clothes or other things. “Instead, he chose to make personal donations to individuals because he clearly wanted them to know he was donating.”