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A government minister was skewered by Kay Burley this morning as she struggled to answer questions about the freebies row engulfing Keir Starmer.
Sarah Jones clashed with the Sky News presenter after it was announced that the prime minister is paying back more than £6,000 worth of hospitality and gifts received by him since he entered No.10 on July 5.
They included the cost of four Taylor Swift tickets given to him by Universal Music Group worth £2,800, two more from the Football Association at a cost of £598, and four tickets to Doncaster Races worth £1,939.
Starmer said it was “right” for him to repay the donations while new principles for accepting gifts were drawn up.
Asked by Burley how she felt about the row, Jones said: “I think it’s good that we’re looking at those rules. Nobody has broken any rules that exist at the moment, it’s something that nobody is suggesting.
“Under the last government the issue was always about transparency and not playing by the rules. Everybody has gone by the rules, we’re having a look again.”
The industry minister then tried to list the things the government has done since winning the election, but Burley told her: “Yeah ok, we’re not going down that route. How much damage do you think this has done to your party?”
The minister said: “We’re a new government, we are always worried, and Keir’s main item in the speech he made at conference was the lack of trust people have in politicians. We need to do more to make sure people trust politicians because politics can be a force for good.”
Burley replied: “So you can acknowledge that all these freebies that have been floating about have damaged trust in Keir Starmer?”
Jones said: “Well I think he is doing the right thing looking at those principles in terms of hospitality. He is absolutely clear …”
The presenter then interrupted her to say: “Can you answer my question?”
Jones then said: “I am answering your question”, but Burley told her: “No you’re not. I’m asking about the damage to trust in Keir Starmer’s reputation for accepting many thousands worth of freebies.”
The minister said: “Clearly this has been a big story in the news, it’s clearly been something that we are addressing, the prime minister is addressing. He wants to put trust back in politics, he wants to respond to people, he wants to build a country that everyone can prosper in and that’s what he’s doing.
“He will do the right thing as always, he has not broken any rules, he is looking again at the principles around gifts and hospitality. That’s the right thing to do.”
Burley hit back: “You have to accept that it’s damaged his reputation. His popularity is as low now as when Rishi Sunak called the election. Has he had to do this to try to re-establish trust in his brand?”
But Jones said Starmer “is not going to be worrying about popularity”.
“He is really clear that we need to re-build trust in politicians and politics because politics can be a force for good,” she added.
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