Lord Alli Under Investigation by Watchdog over Register of Interests

The Labour peer and party donor is at the centre of a row over donations to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Lord Waheed Alli attending the Stonewall Equality Dinner at the Hilton Park Lane, London, on March 27, 2015. Ian West/PA Wire

Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli is under investigation by the Lords’ standards watchdog over an alleged failure to register interests.

A notification from the House of Lords Commission for Standards said it is currently investigating Alli for “alleged non-registration of interests,” leading to potential breaches of the upper house’s Code of Conduct in relation to “openness and accountability” and proper record-keeping of those interests.

A spokesman from the Labour Party said on Wednesday the peer will “co-operate fully with the Lords’ Commissioner and he is confident all interests have been registered.”

“We cannot comment further while this is ongoing,” the spokesman said.

The notification on Parliament’s website does not go into detail of the allegations, but says they are related to paragraphs 14(a) and 17 of the Code of Conduct.

The first relates to members’ responsibility to “register in the Register of Lords’ Interests all relevant interests, in order to make clear what are the interests that might reasonably be thought to influence their parliamentary actions.”

Paragraph 17 says that members are responsible for ensuring their registered interests are accurate and up-to-date, and any changes should be registered within one month of the change.

Alli’s Gifts to Starmer

Alli, a media tycoon who has been a member of the House of Lords since 1998, is at the centre of a row over donations to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, after it came to public attention the peer had gifted £20,437.28 worth of accommodation to the Labour leader during the election campaign.

Starmer had said he accepted use of Alli’s London flat so that his son could study for his GCSEs in peace and quiet, while the Starmer residence was surrounded by media.

In the last 12 months he was leader of the opposition, Starmer had also accepted from Alli clothing and glasses for himself and his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer, at a total cost of £8,619, as well as £16,000 in donations for the “private office of the Leader of the Opposition,” according to the latest register of financial interests.

It also emerged in August that after the election, Alli had been granted a temporary Downing Street security pass, despite having no role in government.

Starmer Repays £6,000

Following weeks of criticism over Starmer and other Cabinet ministers accepting tens of thousands of pounds of gifts from wealthy donors, the prime minister committed to overhauling the hospitality rules and to “clean up” British politics.

On Wednesday, Downing Street said that Starmer had paid back more than £6,000 worth of hospitality and gifts he had received since becoming prime minister.

This includes the cost of four Taylor Swift tickets from Universal Music Group totalling £2,800, two from the Football Association worth £598, and four tickets to Doncaster Races from the Arena Racing Corporation costing £1,939.

The prime minister also paid for an £839 rental agreement with Edeline Lee, a high-end designer favoured by his wife, along with one hour of hair and makeup for Victoria Starmer.

A Downing Street spokesperson said on Wednesday: “The prime minister has commissioned a new set of principles on gifts and hospitality to be published as part of the updated ministerial code.

“Ahead of the publication of the new code, the prime minister has paid for several entries on his own register. This will appear in the next register of members’ interests.”

Starmer said that it was “right” for him to repay the costs, saying ahead of his trip to Brussels to meet with senior EU figures that his government was going to bring forward the rule because until now, “politicians have used their best individual judgment on a case-by-case basis. I think we need some principles of general application.”

“So, I took the position that until the principles are in place it was right for me to make those repayments,” he added.

The Conservatives accused Starmer of only being transparent when “his back’s against the wall,” and questioned why the prime minister accepted these gifts in the first place.

A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “Day after day more and more comes out about the scandal at the top of Keir Starmer’s government. This scandal has become a complete distraction from the job of governing.”

PA Media contributed to this report.