Lord Waheed Alli, the high profile Labour Party donor and member of the House of Lords embroiled in the gift-giving scandal surrounding Sir Keir Starmer’s government, is under investigation over allegedly failing to register his “interests”.
The Labour peer, a wealthy media mogul who was ennobled by former Labour PM Tony Blair and stands among the left-wing party’s largest donors, is facing a probe from the House of Lords’ standards watchdog for possibly violating the code of conduct for members of the upper chamber of the British Parliament.
The investigation of Lord Alli concerns “alleged non-registration of interests” which might influence parliamentary actions, according to Sky News, which said that it is “understood” that the probe is separate from the growing scandal over lavish gifts given to Prime Minister Starmer and other members of his cabinet.
The broadcaster has calculated over the course of the previous parliament, that the London-born Trinidadian-Guyanese heritage millionaire gave Starmer £134,000 in hospitality and gifts, making him the largest personal donor to the now-Prime Minister since 2019. Just this year, the peer gave the PM £19,000 for “work clothes” and designer glasses as well as £20,000 in accommodation such as the use of his £18 million Central London penthouse and his £4 million Soho townhouse.
Overall, Lord Alli gave the party and Labour politicians an estimated £603,100 over the past five years in the form of donations, gifts, services and other benefits. Eyebrows have been raised over the fact that such a large donor to the party was granted a security pass to Downing Street, despite him having no formal role with the government.
Commenting on the House of Lords investigation, a Labour spokesman said: “Lord Alli will cooperate fully with the Lords’ Commissioner and he is confident all interests have been registered. We cannot comment further while this is ongoing.”
Unlike the United States, where large gift-giving to federal lawmakers is prohibited, politicians in Britain are allowed to accept gifts from individuals listed on a UK electoral register, or even from companies and some organisations registered in the country. They are not allowed to accept gifts from foreigner or companies registered in other countries.
There have been criticisms over the exorbitant “freebies” given to Starmer and other senior government ministers including Deputy PM Angela Rayner and Chancellor while the British people are struggling financially and who are bracing for looming tax hikes and austerity measures by the Labour government.
The scandal saw leading Labour MP Rosie Duffield quit the party last week, proclaiming that the “sleaze, nepotism and apparent avarice are off the scale” with Starmer’s three-month-old government and accusing the PM of lacking “political instinct” by using wealthy donors to fund a luxury lifestyle while average Britons struggle.
Additionally, Reform MP Rupert Lowe has said that he is investigating whether a case under the Bribery Act can be brought against members of the government.
Despite maintaining that they have done nothing wrong, Starmer and other members of his government have said that they will no longer accept personal gifts from donors. The prime minister’s office also revealed Wednesday that he has covered the cost of £6,000 in gifts and hospitality he already accepted after taking power in July, including Taylor Swift concert tickets and a designer clothing rental agreement for his wife.
Meanwhile, it has also been disclosed that footage showing Angela Rayner dancing in the DJ booth of a nightclub on the Spanish resort island of Ibiza was paid for by the agent of the DJ, who gave the Deputy PM £836 in hospitality donations, The Telegraph reported.
The video of Rayner, bottle in hand, dancing it up in Ibiza drew already backlash given that it came amid Prime Minister Starmer warning of “tough times” ahead as his government unveiled winter fuel aid payment cuts for pensioners.
Members of the government are not the only Labour Party figures to be swept up in the spreading scandal.
According to the Daily Mail, leftist London Mayor Sadiq Khan has accepted £107,971 in freebies since taking office in 2016, including concert tickets to see American stars like Taylor Swift, Madonna, and Bruce Springsteen. He was also given Hugo Boss suits valued in the hundreds of pounds sterling.
The tabloid claimed that the far-left politician — internationally known for his longstanding feud with former U.S. President Donald Trump — has been branded as the “Prince of Perks” having also accepted free tickets to a Champions League finals football match, the Wimbledon tennis finals, music awards ceremonies, and fashion events.
A spokesman for the Mayor said: “As Mayor, Sadiq works tirelessly to bang the drum for London and act as a champion of the capital’s creative and sporting sectors. Any gift accepted by the Mayor is declared openly and transparently and is subject to strict rules.”