Keir Starmer risks being a hypocrite over freebies | Andrew Marr | The New Statesman

The prime minister has received substantially more freebies than any other MP since becoming Labour leader.
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"The accusation of hypocrisy, always a deadly charge in politics and when you're taking money away from people, you're always going to make yourself vulnerable to the charge that the government's living the high life."
Hannah Barnes, Andrew Marr and George Eaton answer listener questions ahead of Labour Party conference.
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[@veronicanicholls7132]

Risks being a hypocrite, he is bloody hypocrite.

[@timwoodger7896]

It’s how they spin sht to soften the argument and sow benefit of the doubt.

[@lewis123417]

Almost every council worker signs a strict contract about taking gifts, why is that not the case for rich politicians who actually dont need any gifts

[@roger_welco]

Risks? He Risks being hypocrite? He already is.

[@stevec6232]

I dont understand why civil servants and most private firms have strict policy on gifts but politicians have a constant gravy train of free gifts everywhere. Why is it legal?

[@baronvontrap3325]

I suspect it's 'legal' because the payments are in the form of political contributions. If they were from companies to civil servants then the Bribery Act 2010 would apply. - Convenient isn't it? www.gov.uk/government/publications/bribery-act-2010-guidance.

[@colbr6733]

Sadly we still have media professionals explaining away social issues by the lack of growth with GDP. This lack of direct engagement with ordinary people who have been directly affected by huge social change impacting their normal way of life is a real problem. Ireland shows very clearly GDP isn't an effective metric to properly evaluate conditions affecting the quality of life of all citizens.

[@YesYes-xb6he]

Risks!!! He's a bigger hypocrite after 3 months than 14 years of Conservative PrimeMinisters managed to archive.

[@jimboakimbo54]

That's an enormous stretch. I agree he is a hypocrite and I'm no fan of him but you cannot seriously call him more of a hypocrite than someone like Johnson.

[@alanhat5252]

​@@jimboakimbo54he also compares with Johnson on the lying 😢

[@YesYes-xb6he]

@jimboakimbo54 Johnson never claimed to be holier than thou, everyone knew he was a spiv beforehand

[@stevedavidson666]

Total and utter bullshit. Jeez but you people just can't stand the fact that at last England has got a PM who actually knows what he's doing and has the background to prove it. Oooh but it obviously hurts and I'm loving it.

[@alanhat5252]

@@stevedavidson666 forecast 4,000 pensioners dead. Presumably your Gran is already dead?

[@geekexmachina]

They should just do the conferences in the summer holidays

[@crayontom9687]

He is a hypocrite. All that nonsense about the ‘grownups’ being back in the room and we find out that actually, they just wanted to get their hands in the till. Lower than a snake’s belly

[@pamplemouse5]

Exactly. Who are these "grownups" (I hate that Americanism) they speak of? For me, * adults should not leave public services to private enterprises, they should not be taking gifts from massively rich 'donors', they should be repairing the country after this decade and a half of it being smashed to pieces.

[@alanhat5252]

If we vote for children we get children 😢

[@stephenholmes1036]

Private Eye have been discussing Mr/Mrs Starmer's gifts for some time now ! Like Horizon, Time for the NS to catch up!

[@JB_inks]

The only person to defend Kid Starver is James O'Brien. What an absolute bell

[@twonewns]

Labour conference where members vote for PR and keir starmers says no

[@baronvontrap3325]

As many have said he makes enough to buy his own clothes and specs. Why the f***k does he need to make himself look obliged to anybody? He's not stupid, so it looks like he just doesn't care. Presumably all his 'media savvy' advisers were too busy bitching about Sue Gray's salary and how badly they have been treated to actually do their jobs. He reminds me of Obama. First raising peoples hopes while all the time cosying up to the financiers and wealthy then once in office leaving the poor and the middle disaffected and disengaged. Once the Tories and Reform finish their courtship, we’ll end up in the same boat with 50% turnouts and elections decided on small margins in a handful of seats. That’s how the US ended up with Trump. We have ten years if we are lucky.

[@andyduggan7810]

Last Christmas one of our suppliers sent my team a box of Quality Street. Our HR department told me I had to fill in a form to document its receipt. And then donate it to a food bank. Value of gift: £4.50. Clearly Mr Starmer follows a different rule book.

[@owentuckett938]

It is not a good look. Stop the Tory-like crap and start being Labour!

[@FishingFan2]

You haven't caught on yet, have you? Labour doesn't exist anymore, it's the new British Communist Party.

[@dcoughla681]

The party is Labour in name only. It’s owned by its rich donors with the unions donating less than they used to. It’s not been for the working class for decades.

[@billyblunham66]

They should not have accepted these gifts, it is not as if they really need them and do people get more things done when their salaries are higher?

[@alanhat5252]

Yes people do get more done when salaries are higher but there's a limit & most MP's are above that limit

[@tobyFOTS]

Free gear Keir making an important speech haha sure...

[@DavidCarlisle-b9f]

Tell a politician who is not a hypocrite. I think Starmer needs not to be concerned.

[@avae5343]

Risks being a hypocrite? He and Reeves are unbelievable. They both are paid a tremendous amount of money, already have expense accounts and still need someone else to buy their clothes? This is ludicrous. Get real.

[@CatholicSatan]

Party conferences are important... for external democracy? Puh-leez... I remember watching the Tory party conference just before Margaret Thatcher got into No. 10 and was convinced by the smug, fact-free, policy-free speeches that she didn't stand a chance. But the English electorate obviously took _no_ notice of that conference and voted her in anyway. Subsequent conferences have not been notably different.

[@tigermax2697]

People often criticise Oasis for their similarity to The Beatles but that is unfair because they also rip off Slade

[@djmattblack]

And Status Quo and T-Rex and...

[@ArtSmart91]

Nice to see the new statesman’s non-aggression pact with kier starmer his inner circle is still rock strong. Wonder what they are going to do at the next election when Labour looses it big majority because people realise how clueless they are!

[@peterwiles7953]

They can say no rules were broken till they are blue in the face but it’s the morality of the subject, just goes to show they all have their snouts in the trough.

[@williambelford9661]

Hold Party Conferences during the summer recess, there is absolutely no reason to stop Parliament from functioning for Party, not Parliamentary, business.

[@joshua6244]

Free gear Keir and Victoria sponge.

[@liaminwales]

It's all talk, smiles. Round the back it's jobs for pals, free gifts and hobnobbing with the rich. It's clear he helps the rich not the normal people.

[@mikerobb8838]

hypocrite defines freebie gear Kier

[@predator9982]

It’s like his “everyone’s laughing at my dad the toolmaker” nonsense. Judgement way off.

[@Red-px1fr]

"It's really important for ministers to realise... .... they are part of a movement of people with values" Hahaha. When's your new stand-up tour Andrew?

[@peterteagleteagle9958]

It's the same old tosh every year, don't matter who's in power

[@oliverdesvaux]

“Risks”being a hypocrite?! He went to a private school and “climbed the ladder,” but now wants the ladder pulled up for the generations behind him. (Plus all the other countless examples of rank hypocrisy)

[@jamesgrindon8560]

He does not risk it he is a hyprocrite full stop

[@timwoodger7896]

Starmer is so confident that he’s here to stay and has shown his true colours to early in the game but it doesn’t matter as he knows the next few elections will be between labour and reform U.K. reform may have an ever growing number of voters but they also have an ever growing number of people that don’t want them in power so it’s going to be if you don’t vote labour you will get reform U.K. for the next decade. Starmer has nothing to fear for quite some time.

[@Linda-iy3qh]

I love Andrew Marr. His intelligent analysis of government and politics is brilliant. Wonderful guy

[@johndean1634]

So if we all Club Together and buy the PM a New Suit and Glasses we can all get a Pass to Number 10. Yea Right the Suits and Glasses come with a promise to pay back in some way or another. Normal Folk call it Greasing the Palm or Currying Favour. Clear and Transparent. Only when they are Caught Out. Then its what we call trying to Limit the Damage and Avoid being Sacked or Dismissed

[@DrWrapperband]

If I steal something, do I risk being a thief?

[@ianmerry1]

Good Public Servants give not take

[@peterteagleteagle9958]

Risks, Risks, bit late for that

[@robertyoung8785]

Risks? He is a hypocrite.

[@buzzukfiftythree]

Yes, I agree. To make such blunders risks ruining his period as PM. OK, these were ‘perks’ given mainly when he was Leader of the Opposition and, let’s not ignore the fact that, unlike the Tories, he did declare them. However, he was being incredibly naive and lacked sound judgement in accepting the gifts.

[@Oldfogey2014]

Does he accept luncheon vouchers or gets his groceries paid?

[@ryandudley3616]

“Risks” 😂

[@ufoc700]

You might get more disagreement if you employed people from different backgrounds Can’t these guys focus more on some policy instead of what sounds like Westminster gossip - sue grays salary, starmers gifts, conference. None of this changes our shitty economy

[@lewis123417]

They do talk about the economy but they also talk about politics as well. Sorry it upsets you that labours dodgy dealings are actually something the public want exposed and discussed

[@ufoc700]

One civil servant getting 6k more than the PM and starmers 100k gift is petty politics. Political analysis of labour now could focus on the shape of the party now the left have been purged, what the main talking points at conference should be given the state of the country with reform doing all it can to take us further right. It’s the crappy gossip analysis that leaves politicians unaccountable and the public ingnorant and then ppl like you play factional games online

[@MJ-tg7wv]

Doesn't risk - he IS

[@bigtree6992]

Three out of touch insulated London journalists. The problems in the community are not just down to growth. It's because of no social cohesion due to mass migration

[@janeknight3597]

Well I spent my winter fuel allowance on my glasses. I have had cataract surgery they are not an option. I don’t have more than one pair. The tickets I can deal with - although 2 sets for Taylor Swift?

[@GregoryKodolanyiRitter]

Risks? He is.

[@josephhoward3558]

'Risks being a hypocrite' ???

[@brenglover72]

Risks?

[@Cosmoscosmos1]

So we’ve got to listen to starmer snaking his way back into some sort of credibility in the eyes of voters…….lovely! Think he’s managed to sever at least a couple of million votes off his next attempt at reelection. Think he’ll walk before then though.🤞

[@nuttall47]

Risks being a hypocrite?

[@brianatkinson4407]

Boris number two

[@julianshepherd2038]

Quit football spectating or quit being PM

[@Marcthered]

Why would he need security at football match

[@anonnymous4684]

Because not a small number of football fans are cabbages.

[@Marcthered]

​@@anonnymous4684 why security when sitting with his own teams fans

[@lewis123417]

​@@anonnymous4684none of the previous prime ministers needed a private box, is starmer really that unpopular he can't sit with the great unwashed?

[@specialized500]

​@@lewis123417how do you know? Which former pm had a season ticket?

[@lewis123417]

@@specialized500 what difference does a season ticket make? 🤣 none of the previous PMs needed a private box for a football game did they

[@stevedavidson666]

What a load of total rubbish. Starmer actually declared the stuff, of which only a little bit has taken place since he became PM. But of course If this is the best that the far left and far right can find. Bunch of idiots. But it does show how wound up they are. Wonderful. Keep at it Keir!!