Keir Starmer joked about pretending a flash U.K. Government building in New York was his own home today amid questions over whether he pretended a Labour donor’s penthouse was his home during Covid restrictions. The Mail has the story.
The PM made the off-the-cuff remark as he entertained U.S. business leaders at the British consul general’s $16 million residence in Manhattan.
The plush seven-bedroom apartment, close to UN headquarters overlooking the East River, was purchased five years ago when Tory Jeremy Hunt was Foreign Secretary and has been used by politicians and royalty including the Prince of Wales.
Sir Keir, who is embroiled in a row about his use of Labour donor Lord Alli’s Covent Garden pad, joked to the U.S. business chiefs about the Consul General’s residence: “I’d like to pretend this is my apartment to welcome you to.”
It came after he said he did not declare using Lord Alli’s £18 million apartment in central London for political purposes because he was “only there for a couple of hours”.
A Tory source said: “There is no limits to other people’s properties Keir Starmer would happily live in.
“But this crass comment just goes to show just how out of touch this Prime Minister is, joking about his crony gifted residences whilst pensioners face the hard choice between heating and eating.”
The PM has spent weeks wrestling to contain a growing row over ‘freebies’ accepted by himself and other frontbenchers.
But Sir Keir’s problems have widened after fresh details were revealed about his use of Lord Alli’s luxury home in central London.
The premier yesterday defended taking £20,000 worth of free accommodation at the flat in the run-up to the election, saying his son needed “peace” to study for his GCSEs.
It has also emerged that Sir Keir filmed TV statements to the nation at the flat, including about Christmas 2021 Covid rules and the death of the Queen in 2022.
The apartment was seemingly dressed to look like Sir Keir’s own home, with a family photo and festive cards on a bookshelf. …
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “At the start of this year, Starmer promised to restore standards in public life with a ‘total crackdown’ on cronyism.
“In that spirit, he should now explain why he didn’t declare the use of Lord Alli’s penthouse for political purposes, and why he was not honest about passing off someone else’s house as his own.”
One statement filmed by Sir Keir – a response to Boris Johnson’s Covid announcement at Christmas 2021 – included a family photo with wife Victoria and their two children on shelves behind the then-Opposition leader.
There were also festive cards and coffee table books artfully stacked against the stylish decor. …
Tories complained that the images created the impression, especially given the ‘sticking to the rules’ message being delivered in 2021, that the video was shot in his family home in Kentish Town, north London.
Worth reading in full.
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Not worth reading at all, let alone in full
Speaking of jokes….good job I’m not in the UK or I’d be expecting a knock at the door for posting this;
https://x.com/juneslater17/status/1839259166432452837
New York mayor Eric Adams has just been charged with 5 counts of bribary after accepting £75,000 in travel benefits from a wealthy businessman. If found guilty he faces up to 45 years in jail. Starmer should think himself lucky he is not an American, they take bribary a little more seriously.
But he won’t be found guilty !
“One statement filmed by Sir Keir – a response to Boris Johnson’s Covid announcement at Christmas 2021 – included a family photo with wife Victoria and their two children on shelves behind the then-Opposition leader.”
Wife Victoria now known as “Victoria Sponge”, I gather
Four legs bad; two legs good.