I got this Sunday, and since then 38 Degrees have been sending me messages asking why I haven’t signed it and would I like to. Well, I would, but I was busy with other things. But now I have, and I’m putting it up here for anyone else who wants to do so.
I think nearly everybody in the country has been shocked by the revelations about Starmer and his cabinet getting thousands and millions pounds worth of gifts and other freebies from donors like Lord Ali. And someone has also traced a line going from them to a hedge fund. This is almost par for the course from government now of both colours. They all seem to be on the take since at least the days of John Major, whose government was mired in ‘sleaze’. Blair’s government was also caught taking dodgy donations from a motor racing mogul, if you remember. They ended up having to give it back. The Tory party expressed surprise at the time at the corruption. Not that Labour were doing it, so much as how blatant it was. There are people saying Starmer is the most corrupt PM for a long time. And it isn’t just the gifts and donations, it’s the insult to the people who elected him. He and Reeves have told ordinary British working men and women to tighten their belts and expects further cuts, particularly to the disabled, while wallowing in the largesse showered upon them by the filthy rich, who aren’t going to get any cuts or tax rises at all. The last time I looked, one YouTube channel, which I think may well have been Tory but I can’t swear to it, had said that polling now placed Labour only one point above the Tories. Others have said Starmer is even more hated than Sunak. I can well believe. The Blairites are complete whores for all that corporate dosh.
‘David, MPs have taken more than £6 million in ‘freebies’ since 2010 – with half of those donations accepted in the last two years alone. [1] Recent stories – from Keir Starmer’s £2,800 Taylor Swift tickets, to Robert Jenrick’s £75,000 donation from a company registered in an overseas tax haven – have prompted calls for urgent reform. [2]
Although there’s no suggestion that rules have been broken, it begs two important questions: what do private companies and wealthy individuals with business links hope to get from their gifts and donations? And can we be sure that grand gestures like these don’t impair judgements or influence decision-making of those in positions of power?
Right now, public pressure has already forced the Prime Minister to say he’ll pay back some of the gifts received and commit to make Ministers’ declarations more transparent, and put donor Lord Alli under investigation by a parliamentary watchdog. [3] It’s a step in the right direction – but it doesn’t go far enough.
If the Prime Minister is serious about restoring public trust in politics, then he can start by looking to tighten rules that allow MPs of all stripes to take millions in ‘freebies’ each year.A huge petition that pushes for more rigorous rules on political gifts and donations, while the issue is high in the news, could force him to announce bigger and bolder reforms.
So David, if you’re sick and tired of the ‘freebies’ scandal, will you add your name to the petition today? You can add your name automatically with one-click of the button below:
Here’s the petition text in full:
| TIGHTEN RULES AROUND GIFTS AND DONATIONS To: Prime Minister, Keir Starmer Implement more rigorous rules around political gifts, donations and hospitality and stronger transparency and accountability measures to help restore public trust in our elected representatives and political institutions. ADD MY NAME |
Thanks for all you do,
The 38 Degrees Democracy Team
NOTES:
[1] The Guardian: MPs have declared more than £6m in ‘freebies’ since 2010, analysis shows
[2] Sky News: Robert Jenrick defends £75k donation after criticising Labour in freebies row
Sky News: Sir Keir Starmer pays back £6,000 worth of gifts – including Taylor Swift tickets
BBC News: Keir Starmer received more clothes worth £16,000
[3] BBC: Labour to tighten ministerial hospitality rules
BBC: Starmer repays more than £6,000 in gifts after donations row
The Independent: Labour peer Lord Alli under investigation over ‘alleged non-registration of interests’
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