Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has defended receiving a donation of £14,000 from a Labour peer embroiled in a freebies row, saying it was “declared properly and thoroughly”.
An article in the Mail on Sunday claimed the minister had used some of the money from Lord Waheed Alli to pay for her 40th birthday party.
But speaking to Sky News from the Labour Party conference, Ms Phillipson insisted the donation paid for two events in a “professional… work context”, with attendees including representatives from the education sector, trade unions and political journalists.
Politics live: Labour wants to ‘move on’ from donations row, says minister
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has come under fire this week for accepting more than £100,000 worth of gifts since becoming party leader in 2019, including tickets to football matches, concerts, and luxury clothes for him and his wife.
It also emerged Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Chancellor Rachel Reeves have received donations used for purchasing clothes by long-standing Labour peer Lord Alli.
All three, who declared the donations on their register of interests, have now vowed to no longer accept funds in the future to pay for clothing.
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Asked by Sky News’ Trevor Phillips whether they would now hand the money back, Ms Phillipson said: “Well, if they’ve declared it in line with the rules and they’ve followed [the rules], as very clearly they have, then I see no reason to do so.”
Pushed to explain her own donations from Lord Alli – a television executive who has donated to Labour over the past 20 years – the education secretary said: “It was used to fund two events, all of which was declared properly and thoroughly. That’s why that information is in the public domain.
“The first event was ahead of my birthday, so I was turning 40. I thought it was a good opportunity to get people together in a professional context, so it was journalists, trade unionists, education people, MPs and shadow cabinet.
“The second event was an event that I held also again for lobby journalists, for people in the education world, as part of a reception. It was in a work context.”
She added that she celebrated her “actual 40th birthday” with her family,” saying: “We went for a pizza. I celebrated with my kids.”
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