All the grief he got for a few suits and some Taylor Swift tickets and Trump gets a bloody jet.
Starmer is now considering whether it made any sense allowing himself to feel guilty about a few thousand pounds worth of suits. Perhaps he should have dragged his feet on addressing the matter until he had something really good like a sensible car with generous boot space and good fuel economy.
In September 2024 the British media were pursuing ‘suitgate’. To the horror of media commentators such as Laura Koensberg various people at the top of the Labour Party had accepted thousands of pounds worth of gifts. Gasp. Thousands.
Starmer, his wife, the deputy prime minister and the chancellor had all accepted thousands of pounds worth of free outfits. Starmer also had free use of a corporate box to watch his favourite team Arsenal play. Perhaps it was the Taylor Swift tickets that made so many people envious?
That does not really compare with the gift of a $400 million airplane from Qatar.
Hillary Clinton is also a bit miffed. In 2012 she received the gift of a $425 necklace. This was a gift from the Prime Minister of Bangladesh which she reported in accordance with the rules. She was required to return it. Apparently the gift of an aeroplane is not the same thing.
The British Prime Minister is beginning to learn that doing the ‘right thing’ really does not matter in the long run.