Angela Rayner defends Labour government over donations row saying ‘all MPs do it’

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Angela Rayner has defended the government amid a growing row over donations accepted by senior Labour figures, saying “all MPs do it”.

Asked about the decision by herself and her cabinet colleagues to accept thousands of pounds worth of clothes, hospitality and gifts, the deputy prime minister said: “MPs have accepted gifts and donations for years. All MPs do it”.

She told the BBC: “Gifts and donations have been a factor in our political life for some time. We could have a debate about that.

“I was from a very working-class background, to stand as deputy leader, to get that position, I had to accept donations to run that campaign because it’s a very expensive way of doing our politics.”

Sir Keir Starmer, who has a salary of around £160,000, has faced criticism after it emerged he was late to declare a donation by a Labour peer who paid for dresses for his wife Victoria.

Lord Waheed Alli bought more than £5,000 worth of clothes for Lady Victoria Starmer. He has also given Sir Keir £18,685 of work clothes and several pairs of glasses.

Having taken £107,000 in gifts since 2019, Sir Keir has accepted more than two and a half times more than any other MP.

Ms Rayner has accepted clothing donations to the value of £2,230.

She said she understands why people are angry but added that donations are “a feature of our politics”.

The deputy prime minister told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “I get that people are frustrated, in particular the circumstances that we’re in, but donations for gifts and hospitality and monetary donations have been a feature of our politics for a very long time.

“People can look it up and see what people have had donations for, and the transparency is really important.”

She added: “I get that people are angry, I get that people are upset.

“I think the transparency is there so people can see that. Now, if there is a national debate about how we fund politics and how we do that, and I hear that people are frustrated with that, but we have a system at the moment that says if you get donations, that has to be declared and the rules have to apply to everybody.

“I think that is correct so people can see where you’ve had donations and where that potential influence is so that people can see the transparency.”

Ms Rayner also denied breaking Commons rules over declaring a stay in a New York flat owned by Lord Alli, saying: “I don’t believe I broke any rules. I had the use of the apartment and I disclosed that I had the use of the apartment.

“In fact, I think I was overly transparent because I think it was important despite it being a personal holiday because that person, as a friend, had already donated to me in the past for my deputy leadership.”