Not even Sir Keir Starmer's gifted glasses can help with blindspot to freebies
Twelve months ago, in Liverpool, Sir Keir Starmer gave his final conference speech as the leader of the opposition.
It followed a clear theme - that of “service”. Sir Keir said that word 14 times while talking about bringing politics back to the service of the people.
It had come after four years of the former director of public prosecutions skewering the Tory government on sleaze at every chance he got - on everything from partygate to Boris Johnson’s free wallpaper.
This weekend Labour returns to Liverpool for something of a victory lap, with the party back in power after 14 years in the wilderness.
However already the shine is coming off that general election win.
Some MPs won’t be appearing in Liverpool, already unhappy with decisions Sir Keir has made in power.
And while a year ago, the focus was very much on Tory sleaze, now the spotlight is on the current Prime Minister.
Since December 2019, no MP has accepted more gifts and freebies than Sir Keir.
The Prime Minister has taken advantage of more than £107,000 worth of football and concert tickets.
That’s almost three times the amount of the MP, Lucy Powell, who accepted the second highest amount of gifts.
Labour peer and donor Lord Alli even gave Sir Keir and his wife Victoria clothes and glasses.
Lord Alli then was given a pass to Downing Street, which No10 has said was to help with transition work.
No further detail has been given on the nature of the peer’s role, however Sir Keir has said he no longer has a pass.
The Prime Minister was surprisingly bullish when quizzed about his decision to accept these donations.
No10 has admitted that it should have declared these to Parliamentary authorities, although I understand there will be no punishment.
Sir Keir has said it would be “pushing it a bit far” to deny him the right to accept certain kinds of hospitality.
Giving the example of football tickets, he said: “I’m a massive Arsenal fan. I can’t go into the stands because of security reasons.
“Therefore, if I don’t accept a gift of hospitality, I can’t go to a game. You could say, ‘well, bad luck’. That’s why gifts have to be registered.
“But, you know, never going to an Arsenal game again because I can’t accept hospitality is pushing it a bit far.”
This answer has prolonged the story, with Labour MPs reportedly “livid” at his refusal to stop accepting gifts.
The problem for the new Prime Minister is that he spent the last five years of opposition criticising the Tory government for every single whiff of scandal, such as donations for Boris Johnson to do up the wallpaper in No10. That means he has to be spotless.
Backbenchers are now accusing Sir Keir of “hypocrisy” and “double standards”.
The worry for the PM, which he seems to have missed completely, is that it risks confirming the impression, that many voters have, that all the politicians are the same, and in it for themselves.
Political capital is easily spent but tough to acquire.
Even the Prime Minister’s newly donated glasses can’t stop this blindspot.