Sir Keir Starmer’s wife Victoria opts for casual look for Labour conference amid freebies row
THE PM’s wife goes for a more casual look as she arrives for the Labour conference yesterday.
Lady Victoria Starmer blended in with other attendees in Liverpool with a white tee, leather-look coat, and tracksuit bottoms.
It was a far cry from the glamorous designer gowns given to her by party donor Lord Waheed Alli before a backlash made her vow to turn such gifts away.
Dubbed the “Glastonbury for left-wing nerds”, Labour conference looks cover a wide range of styles.
While ministers and aspiring MPs opt for suited and booted, many party members keep it casual in jeans, trainers and the odd Che Guevara t-shirt.
Last week, The Sun reported on how David Lammy defended the PM’s wife.
Victoria accepted dresses from a Labour bankroller because taxpayers won’t cough up for her clothes, claimed the Foreign Secretary.
Lammy insisted the PM’s wife was right to be given pretty dresses by a millionaire donor because the couple needs to “look their best” for the public.
Sir Keir had been found to have breached Commons sleaze rules by failing to declare that Lord Waheed Alli, a Labour peer, paid for a personal shopper and outfits for Lady Victoria.
The millionaire had also given the PM £18,685 worth of work clothes and high-end glasses, which were declared in line with Commons rules.
Mr Lammy told the BBC: “The truth is that successive prime ministers, unless you’re a billionaire like the last one, do rely on donations, political donations, so they can look their best, both in the hope of representing the country, if you’re in the Opposition, or indeed as prime minister.”
Mr Lammy told the BBC that while the Starmer’s “are not broke”, other world leaders receive lavish outfit budgets that the PM can’t access.
The Foreign Secretary incorrectly claimed that in the US the President receives generous taxpayer funding for snazzy suits.
But while presidents do receive the equivalent of £38,100 in expenses allowance, there is no specific clothing budget.