A Starmer government minister says she has been too busy since the general election to accept concert tickets amid an ongoing row over Rachel Reeves going to a Sabrina Carpenter show for free.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander’s comments add to pressure piling on the chancellor, who has faced days of criticism for accepting the freebie gig tickets, saying that she a “very busy diary”.
“I haven’t taken any tickets to be honest since I was elected back in June as a new member of parliament and going straight into the Ministry of Justice and then coming straight into the Department for Transport, Ms Alexander told Times Radio. “I actually sadly haven’t been to see any concerts at all over the last nine months, partly because I’ve been very very busy.
“I have never, as a member of parliament, I have never accepted tickets to any concerts or anything like that.”
Asked whether she would not accept tickets because she feels it is not the right thing to do, Ms Alexander added: “Partly because I’ve got a very busy diary and I’ve got to prioritise my time and, you know, when I’ve got time off, actually spending some time with my family and my husband is actually a more attractive option to me if I’m honest.”
Her remarks come after Ms Reeves defended her decision to accept the tickets to the O2 Arena show from a “security perspective” as she prepares to unveil billions of pounds of cuts to public spending.
Ms Reeves told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme she and a family member went to see the American singer “a couple of weeks ago”. She said the tickets “weren’t tickets that you were able to buy”.
“I do now have security, which means it’s not as easy as it would have been in the past to just sit in a concert, although that would probably be a lot easier for everyone concerned,” she said.
“So, look, I took those tickets to go with a member of my family. I thought that was the right thing to do from a security perspective.”
Sir Keir Starmer last year received several gifts from prominent Labour donor Lord Alli, including “multiple pairs of glasses” to the value of £2,485, “work clothing” worth £16,200 and accommodation worth £20,437.28.
The prime minister later paid back more than £6,000 worth of gifts he received after entering Number 10 last year, including four Taylor Swift tickets from record label Universal Music Group totalling £2,800, two from the Football Association at a cost of £598, and four to Doncaster races from Arena Racing Corporation at £1,939.
Asked on Monday why Sir Keir had paid back the value of his tickets but the chancellor would not be expected to repay hers, the prime minister’s official spokesman said it is “up to ministers to make their own judgments on these matters”.
