Rachel Reeves is being investigated by parliament‘s standards commissioner it has emerged, less than 24 hours before voters go to the polls in England’s local elections.
The probe, understood to be into free theatre tickets, comes as a blow to Labour ahead of what are expected to be a difficult set of elections.
Earlier this 12 months Ms Reeves was pressured to announce she wouldn’t settle for future ‘freebie’ live performance tickets after her decision to accept a seat in a box to observe Sabrina Carpenter reignited a livid row.
The brand new probe comes after the chancellor attended a present on the Nationwide Theatre over Christmas however didn’t add the donation to her MPs’ register of pursuits till March.
MPs need to register donations inside 28 days.
In addition to a register for pursuits for MPs, there’s additionally a separate one for ministers, the place it’s understood the tickets have been declared on time.
A spokesperson for Ms Reeves stated: “The chancellor’s pursuits are totally declared and updated.”
Ms Reeves confronted fireplace from MPs, together with a authorities minister, for receiving the hospitality to the Sabrina Carpenter concert as she prepared to slash £5 billion from the welfare bill.
Last year she also pledged she would not accept any more free clothes from donors after days of destructive headlines over “wardrobe-gate”.
The abrupt change of coverage adopted a livid row simply earlier than Labour’s annual convention.
It erupted after it emerged Keir Starmer didn’t initially declare clothes purchased for his spouse Victoria by Waheed Alli, who has given greater than £500,000 to Labour over the past 20 years.
The Labour chief himself was additionally embroiled in his personal row over his determination to just accept greater than £100,000 in presents.
In what was dubbed “passes for glasses”, Lord Alli, who’s a distinguished Labour donor, additionally gave him tens of hundreds of kilos price of clothes and lodging, together with “a number of pairs” of spectacles.
The requirements commissioner’s web site says that its inquiry, which opened on Tuesday, is underneath paragraph 5 of the code of conduct.
This says that “members should fulfil carefully the necessities of the Home in respect of the registration of pursuits within the Register of Members’ Monetary Pursuits. New Members should register all their present monetary pursuits, and any registrable advantages (apart from earnings) acquired within the 12 months earlier than their election inside one month of their election, and Members should register any change in these registrable pursuits inside 28 days.”
It is a breaking information story, extra to observe
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