Sir Keir Starmer was ripped apart on BBC Question Time by a Conservative MP and former minister for his “hypocrisy” in accepting lavish freebies.
Graham Stuart said the Labour leader was “more pious than the Pope” when in opposition, citing how Sir Keir repeatedly mocked Boris Johnson over donations of wallpaper for redecorating Downing Street.
But the MP for Beverley and Holderness suggested the Prime Minister behaved no better when accepting free gifts of clothing and multiple pairs of glasses worth thousands of pounds from Lord Waheed Alli, a prominent Labour donor.
Sir Keir has denied being the “king of the freebies” after receiving more than £100,000 worth of gifts and donations – more than any other MP and twice the amount of Lucy Powell, the Leader of the House of Commons, who was in second place.
The PM, a keen Arsenal fan, accepted more than £35,000 of free football tickets over the last parliament, alongside other offers of hospitality.
Sir Keir is now facing a standards investigation after failing to declare more than £5,000 of high-end items for his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer.
Mr Stuart said: “Forget the tickets, forget the frocks, forget the spectacles, the suits, and the access for Lord Alli, what really gets in people’s craw … is the hypocrisy.
“Millions of people voted Labour because they did buy that we needed a cleaner politics. They wanted greater propriety. They wanted transparency.
“Instead they have a man who was more pious than the Pope when he was in opposition, and now we’ve gone from pious Keir to graspy Keir.”
Question Time host Fiona Bruce pointed out that Mr Johnson declared donations well over Sir Keir’s level.
Mr Stuart responded by saying: “The public were promised that things would be better.
“Starmer actually said that we need to ensure that people cannot use their office in order to get benefits and open the door to vested interests.”
On the same show, Sir Keir was ridiculed by fellow panellist and columnist Jill Kirby, who claimed Lord Alli “was clearly buying influence” with his donations.
She added: “Keir Starmer does not need to have his clothes bought for him – he should have gone to Specsavers like everyone else.”
Labour grandee and former deputy leader Harriet Harman urged Sir Keir to “deal with the criticism” and admit that such donations were not acceptable.
She said “doubling down” and trying to “justify” the freebies was angering and alienating voters.
