SIR KEIR STARMER has been engulfed in a new cronyism row after it emerged the millionaire TV mogul Waheed Alli was given unrestricted access to No 10 after donating £500,000 to Labour.
Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden could not say today why Lord Alli had been granted the pass, which is normally reserved for officials and staff.
He was quizzed about it on Sky News after the Sunday Times also revealed that Lord Alli had organised a post-election Downing Street garden reception for others who contributed to the party’s campaign.
Mr McFadden said: “I don’t think he’s got a pass any more.
“He may have needed it for a short time in that period immediately after the election.
“He won’t have been involved in government or policy decisions.”
The Labour government has faced criticism for handing top jobs to some of its most prominent backers.
Others with ties to Labour or Labour-supporting think tanks have also been appointed to Civil Service roles, leading to anger over its politicisation.
In the run-up to the election Lord Alli, a television executive who was ennobled by Tony Blair in 1998, gave Sir Keir tens of thousands of pounds’ worth of personal donations, including £16,200 worth of work clothing, £2,845 worth of glasses and £36,400 for private office costs and accommodation.
He worked as the party’s chief fundraiser for the general election, having been hired by Sir Keir in 2022, having personally donated £500,000 to Labour since 2020.
The Sunday Times also revealed that Ian Corfield has stepped down from his role as a civil servant at the Treasury amid controversy over his more than £20,000 of donations to Labour politicians in the past 10 years, including £5,000 to the chancellor Rachel Reeves.
These donations were not disclosed to the Civil Service watchdog.
The government is also under fire for having appointed Jess Sargeant, who used to work for the Starmerite think tank Labour Together, as a deputy director in the Cabinet Office’s propriety and constitution unit, a role usually given to a civil servant.
A Momentum spokeswoman said: “The decision to give a major party donor unrestricted access to No 10 poses major questions about conflicts of interest distorting the priorities of the Labour government.
“Party policy must be based on real Labour values and democratic processes rather than individuals from the 1 per cent buying improper influence.”
