Am I alone in finding this so tawdry?

I'm beginning to think he's not very bright .

I fear this is just the tip of the iceberg!

I met our new Labour mp at a Macmillan event yesterday and told him how disappointed I am. I know the generally Tory press are having a field day, but clothes fir our PM and his wife, glasses fir him paid fir by a rich friend costing thousands £ ( my glasses are from £land) does not sit well with anyone, especially Labour supporters. He said something about avoiding own goals… he is right about that.

Hypocrisy comes to mind

GrannySomerset

Though playing devil’s advocate, the willingness of some journalists to attack the appearance and dress sense of female politicians is part of the problem. Perhaps a taxable allowance for the top brass, to be spent on British made clothes, might be a solution? Bet Mme Macron doesn’t have this problem.

Why the hell can’t they buy their own clothes, they absolutely earn enough to do so

Mollygo

Doing this, after all the (justified) criticisms about the Conservatives doing the same sort of thing . . .
Did he think it would be more acceptable for him or the LP to do it?

That is the real issue.

Criticising others then doing exactly the same oneself is bound to attract adverse publicity.

Well insisting on declaring and revealing it is how he knows about it so we can’t say it wasn’t a distraction.
Someone -? Sue Grey the queen of ethics - should have stopped him falling into this avoidable trap. I’m prepared to believe he fell into it through inattention in early days with so much else going on.

I think that the tide has turned on what was once normal acceptable practice for MP's gift wise and come to a head because of this issue.

I think that no gifts should be allowed to individual MP's (and that includes £50.000 gifted to Jenrick in July 2024 with no "what its for" label - which has passed by untouched by the media!)

and that it needs to be brought under the control of IPSA, the independent body who makes the rules on expenses generally for MP's.

The amount of both tax payers and private gifts Sunak accepted for private jets and helicopters ran into the hundreds of thousands!

Hear, hear.
I had had hopes of Starmer as a man of principle after all the shenanigans at No 10 under the Tories.
There are other freebies that need to bite the dust too - while Leader of the Opposition he argued that reasons of security necessitated the (freeby) Arsenal hospitality box. Sunak, PM at the time was photographed in the stands along with the hoi polloi . Come on, what does this say to the decent working people who form (or used to) the spine of the Labour movement?
Did it all go south with Tony Blair?

I always think there must be a country somewhere that has solved rather simple problems like, clothes for politicians

Yes, it’s called their salary. .

I worked for a computer company in the 90's and we got lots of freebies - you took them straight to the MD's office and a draw was made at Christmas for everybody in the company. Such a fair way to deal with it

LovesBach

I expected a lot of this man and his government - I now feel disappointed, to put it mildly.

Me too. I voted for him and his party in all good faith.

A lot of bad things have already happened which can't be denied - but how much is stirred up by right wing media - it is hard to work out.

He would have to stand down if he was an Australian politician. Never liked him, sometimes these gut feelings are correct. He’ll stay, obviously, just hope things improve . Not a good start for a holier than thou Labour man.

winterwhite

Well insisting on declaring and revealing it is how he knows about it so we can’t say it wasn’t a distraction.
Someone -? Sue Grey the queen of ethics - should have stopped him falling into this avoidable trap. I’m prepared to believe he fell into it through inattention in early days with so much else going on.

Perhaps Sue Gray sees that as beneath her £170,000 p.a. pay grade?

Lisaangel10

Andrew Neale has just written a long article entitled “ I have never known a Govt that has slurped down the drain so quickly.” Worth a read. Daily Mail.

Gosh, Andrew Neil has written an anti government piece for the Daily Mail.

Well, colour me surprised 😁

Smileless2012

I'm beginning to think he's not very bright .

Me too.

Baggs

Grantanow

A bad mistake and badly handled but it's a distraction from the real issues facing the UK.

Rich people being greedy and allowing themselves to be influenced by unelected others (the donors – no political "freebie" comes without reciprocal expectations) is not a distraction. It is definitely worthy of attention as several Labout MPs have shown by speaking out about it.

✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️
Oh how we need the “like” emoji! 👏👏👍👍🙏

BigBopper

Do you all rmember the carry on about Angela Raynors suit a few weeks ago, well it turned out that it was given to her by a store. If that suit is the type of clothes the store sells then I will definitely be avoiding it.

Maybe it wasn’t selling well so needed an airing in the public gaze?😄

MaizieD

Lisaangel10

Andrew Neale has just written a long article entitled “ I have never known a Govt that has slurped down the drain so quickly.” Worth a read. Daily Mail.

Gosh, Andrew Neil has written an anti government piece for the Daily Mail.

Well, colour me surprised 😁

You can be unsurprised but recognise it’s true.

RosiesMaw2

Hear, hear.
I had had hopes of Starmer as a man of principle after all the shenanigans at No 10 under the Tories.
There are other freebies that need to bite the dust too - while Leader of the Opposition he argued that reasons of security necessitated the (freeby) Arsenal hospitality box. Sunak, PM at the time was photographed in the stands along with the hoi polloi . Come on, what does this say to the decent working people who form (or used to) the spine of the Labour movement?
Did it all go south with Tony Blair?

Sunak was actually in the mood Hospitality Stand when "caught on camera"

www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/rishi-sunak-southampton-plymouth-championship-31770672

correction - "Sunak was actually in the grounds etc)

so all the hoo-ha about man of the people etc.....

I just think it's the political class, they're pretty interchangeable, different snouts but the trough remains the same. Only we're fed this myth that Labour is a party of high ideals. There are of course individuals across the political spectrum who are honourable, and I'm sure there are those who were once. I remember reading that Tony Blair was quite different before he was elevated to the heady heights, I think the old adage of power corrupts is spot on, look how grabby the Blairs turned out to be. Sometimes I don't see a lot of difference between some politicians and the Kardashians in the way they line their pockets for jist being in the public domain. No! having put my faith in him, never again, I remain cynical about the lot of them. Keir Starmer has been shamed into not taking anymore freebies, otherwise left to his own devices I'm sure he'd have continued that "because I'm worth it" was his view a short while ago. What is truly remarkable is how far removed they are from public opinion. Shocking!

Quote from source

"Prime Minister Rishi Sunak left fans surprised as TV cameras showed him in the hospitality section of the stands during Southampton's Championship fixture on Friday night"

him being Tony Blair

They are all blooming hypocrites! Taking freebies like that and yet cutting the winter fuel payments for the elderly and needy. Sorry but they all make me sick!