Sir Keir Starmer has defended declaring £23,000 of hospitality gifts relating to Arsenal away matches during the last parliament, with the Labour leader being a die-hard Gunners fan.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer previously revealed that his diary team plans his work schedule around the Arsenal matches.
Starmer, who declared £23,000 of hospitality gifts related to Arsenal games during the last parliament, said most of the costs were associated with away games where his wish to sit in the stands was not approved by his security team. The Labour leader is often seen at Emirates stadium and has now shared how he balances leading the Labour Party with his passion for Mikel Arteta’s North London side, reports the Express.
In an interview with Arsenal Fan TV (AFTV) founder Robbie Lyle late last year, he said: “Time is a hard thing to find, the only way I can make it work is, as soon as the fixtures come out, I get my diary team to put them all in. Then I’ve got another diary team that monitors when they get moved, so we can get it in really, really early.”
“So that is the only way, and that is how I get to most of the home games”.
However, Starmer admitted that attending midweek and Champions League matches can be more challenging due to scheduling. He added: “If they get moved at the last minute it makes it difficult. And the midweek Champions League games will be good but that’ll be a bit more tricky.”
Despite a packed schedule, Sir Keir says he enjoys attending the games, especially as his 16-year-old son has inherited his love of Arsenal.
Months after the interview, a Financial Times investigation revealed Starmer received £76,000 in freebies during the last Parliament. He shed light on the eyebrow-raising £23,000 in Arsenal away tickets, saying: “Quite a lot of that was Arsenal hospitality and particularly away games where you can appreciate my desire to go in the stands is not always met with approval by the security teams around me. It means that I’m in corporate hospitality if I want to see the game.”
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Meanwhile, the Labour leader’s schedule has recently come under fire from the Conservatives after he said he tries to avoid working after 6pm on a Friday in order to spend time with his family.
The Tories said Mr Starmer’s stance would make him a “part-time” prime minister, but this opinion has faced criticism as the politician’s wife Victoria is Jewish, with Friday night Shabbat dinners considered important in the faith.
