Angela Rayner has been confronted with the extent of voters’ anger as the row over senior Labour figures accepting freebies including clothes, accommodation, and football and concert tickets continues.
The deputy prime minister has become personally embroiled in the row, with Labour being forced to announce on Friday that, along with Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, she would no longer accept donations for clothes.
The Sunday Times has also reported this morning that Rayner may have breached parliamentary rules over holiday accommodation in New York provided by millionaire Labour peer Lord Alli.
On Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on BBC1, Labour’s deputy leader was shown comments by viewers left furious by the ongoing controversy.
Kuenssberg said: “I want to let you know how angry some of our viewers have been over this last week.
“Wendy emailed to say ‘it’s been extraordinary behaviour to accept clothing donations when the government feels justified to remove winter fuel payments to pensioners’.
“Eilles said it’s ‘morally indefensible’ for politicians to be doing this. Peter called you ‘the goody party’ and Clive, who was a Labour Party member, said ‘I find it deeply disappointing that Labour seems no different from the Tories when it comes to freebies’.
“Are we expected to believe that the donors get nothing in return? Lord Alli gave you individually more than £20,000. What did you promise or give him in return?”
Rayner replied: “I promised nothing and gave him nothing in return. What the donors that have helped me in the past have done is seen someone who has come from a very working class background, and I say it how it is. I always try to fight for people.
“Since having the honour and privilege of being the deputy prime minister and the secretary of state for housing, I’ve got a significant number of bills in the King’s Speech because I want to improve people’s housing. I want to get on with the job of supporting people.
“However, a feature of our politics at the moment is for me to stand as the deputy leader … that’s why transparency is extremely important.”
Earlier this morning, education secretary Bridget Phillipson was forced to defend Lord Alli paying for her 40th birthday party last year, which was attended by journalists, trade unionists and education experts.
The prime minister has also been criticised for accepting more than £100,000 in hospitality over the last five years – far more than any other MP.
