Rachel Reeves gives verdict on MPs pay after row over donor cash for clothes

Chancellor Rachel Reeves was asked whether she thinks MPs - who are paid £91,346, a twelvemonth - are paid capable aft a enactment implicit ministers being talented thousands of pounds for clothes

Rachel Reeves has been confronted implicit MPs salaries aft it emerged she and different Cabinet ministers received donor currency to bargain clothes.

The Chancellor was asked whether she thinks Members of Parliament - who are paid £91,346, a twelvemonth - are paid capable aft a enactment implicit Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and herself being talented thousands of pounds to bargain caller new outfits. She admitted she is "certainly not" going to commencement pitching for MPs to get paid much erstwhile she

No10 sources past week confirmed that the PM, the Deputy PM Ms Reeves volition present garbage gifts of this kind. They received immense backlash aft it emerged they'd accepted freebies amid disapproval of plans to slash Winter Fuel Payments for millions of pensioners.

Asked if MPs are paid enough, Ms Reeves told Sky News: “I deliberation astatine a clip erstwhile we’re asking radical to marque sacrifices and erstwhile hard choices are having to beryllium made, I'm surely not arguing for higher salaries of politicians." She insisted governmental campaigns trust connected donations to wage for things including materials that are distributed done people's missive boxes, integer campaigns, and billboards ads.

She continued: "All that requires donations. Taxpayers shouldn't person to money governmental campaigns, but donations do. We're grateful for the enactment that we've had to tally the run that we did, which present gives america this accidental to alteration our country. And the information that Labour received much donations than we ever person successful our past, I think, reflects the enactment radical close crossed the scale, from tiny donations from our members and supporters, from large donations from radical who person been precise palmy successful life. We admit those donations. It helps america to bash our occupation of getting elected and making the alteration that our state desperately needs."

The PM has been dogged by disapproval for accepting thousands of pounds worthy of apparel and glasses for himself and his woman Victoria from Labour donor Lord Alli. MPs are required to state gifts wrong 28 days but a precocious declaration was made regarding outfits for Lady Starmer aft No10 sought caller advice.

Ms Rayner has accepted 4 donations from Lord Alli implicit the past year, including £8,500 past October, £8,250 successful March and £900 successful April to "support maine successful my capableness arsenic Deputy Leader of the Labour Party". It is understood that this wealth was partially utilized to bargain enactment apparel for large events.

Ms Reeves besides accepted astir £7,500 from a donor called Juliet Rosenfeld from January 2023 to May 2024, which were registered arsenic currency "to enactment the Shadow Chancellor's office" and was enactment towards buying outfits. Her squad has been informed that the gifts were decently declared, the Mirror was told.

Speaking connected Times Radio connected Monday, Ms Reeves said she and Ms Rosenfield person been friends for a agelong clip and that she wanted to donate to her run and marque definite she looked "smart and good turned out" for large events. The Chancellor admitted it looked a "bit odd" to judge specified gifts, adding: "This is thing that we did during the predetermination run to get acceptable for government.

"It's not thing that I'm going to bash successful government. I tin recognize that to a batch of radical it looks a spot odd. I get that. It's not thing we're going to bash successful government. But I bash admit the enactment I've had from a fig of donors to assistance maine with research, with code penning and besides the enactment that Juliet gave me."