Wardrobegate! Conservatives demand ‘robust’ inquiry into standards after Keir Starmer failed to declare clothing gifts to wife from millionaire Labour donor and couples

Sir Keir Starmer was last night embroiled in a new scandal over clothes given to his wife by a Labour Party donor.

This weekend it emerged that Lord Alli – who is already at the centre of the “glasses pass” row – paid for luxury clothes, a personal stylist and alterations for Lady Starmer.

But the Prime Minister, who is worth an estimated £3 million, has not declared the donations. It comes less than a month after Lord Alli, who bought £18,865 worth of suits and glasses for Sir Keir, faced questions about being granted a rare No. 10 security pass.

Conservatives are calling for an inquiry into ‘Wardrobegate’, accusing Sir Keir of breaking parliamentary rules.

Some wondered why the Prime Minister, who just stripped pensioners of their winter fuel allowance, could not buy clothes despite earning £166,000 a year.

Former Conservative minister Andrew Griffith said: “It is unbelievable that the Prime Minister thinks it is acceptable for pensioners earning £13,000 a year to afford to heat their homes. But when he earns more than 12 times that, he clearly cannot afford to clothe himself or his wife.”

He added: “While his top team want taxpayers to fund their clothing budgets so they can look stylish, people across the country are being forced to make difficult decisions in the face of Labour’s damaging decisions.”

Labour MP Clive Efford called the revelations “embarrassing”, while another grassroots MP accused Sir Keir of being “out of touch” with reality – given that older people are having to “save and save even more” to be able to pay for their heating.

They told the Mail: “If you lead a party of people who are struggling in life, you have to step into their shoes, and that privilege is part and parcel of the reality of ordinary people’s lives in this country.”

The Conservatives wrote to Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg this evening demanding a “thorough and fair investigation of the Prime Minister”.

In the letter, seen by the Mail, the party said the “scandal” needed to be addressed because “this is not the first time the Prime Minister has failed to declare donations and comply with parliamentary rules”.

Sir Keir was found to have breached the code of conduct for MPs by failing to register eight shares by the deadline in 2022. He assured then-commissioner Kathryn Stone that his office’s procedures had been reviewed to “ensure this does not happen again”.

However, it emerged that Sir Keir had initially failed to declare donations of clothing for his wife – likely made both before and after the election – within the 28-day deadline.

The Sunday Times newspaper reported that the Prime Minister had written to parliamentary authorities on Tuesday asking for the belated statement to be made after receiving updated guidance on what needs to be recorded.

A No 10 spokesman said: “We approached the authorities for advice on taking up the post. We believed we had been compliant, however, following further questioning this month we made further representations.”

Lord Allie’s links with the Labour leader have already sparked controversy after it emerged he had been given a Downing Street security pass despite apparently not holding any government position.

Number 10 was initially unable to say why he had been given temporary leave, but the Prime Minister later said the former TV mogul was helping with the “transition” to government.

Questions about who authorised the pass also remained unanswered, with suspicion falling on the Prime Minister and his chief of staff, Sue Gray.

Former adviser to the prime minister Henry Newman added: “Every day brings new revelations in the growing scandal of cronyism within the Labour government.”

“Keir Starmer must come clean about who authorised Lord Alli’s furlough and what exactly he was doing in government.”

Yesterday David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, sparked ridicule by saying the UK has no budget to dress its leaders and that they must “look their best” for Britain.

He told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg: “I’ve just come back from the United States, where presidents and first ladies have a huge budget paid for by taxpayers to look their best on behalf of the American people. We don’t have that system here.

“The truth is that successive prime ministers – unless you’re a billionaire like the last one – have relied on donations… to be able to look their best, both in the hope of representing the country if you’re in opposition and as prime minister.”

While US presidents have a budget to spend on clothes, their spouses do not.

A Conservative source responded: “It is absurd for David Lammy to say that a Prime Minister on £160,000 a year cannot afford to buy clothes for himself or his wife and deserves taxpayer support. Meanwhile, Labour is robbing pensioners to pay off its political ratepayers.”

Number 10 did not confirm the total value of the gifts to Lady Starmer, nor did it say when Lord Alli began paying for her clothes.

The Prime Minister’s wife has been praised for her style, with her creations being designed by brands such as Me+Em, Needle & Thread and Edeline Lee.

There are no current reports of prime ministers declaring that their partners received clothes.

Gordon Brown’s wife Sarah has rented exclusive outfits for important events, as has Boris Johnson’s wife Carrie.