Rachel Reeves inadvertently breached parliament’s rules by failing to declare gifts on time, the standards watchdog has found.
The chancellor was probed by the standards commissioner over free theatre tickets, which she failed to add to her register of interests within 28 days.
She blamed “an oversight” for her initial failure to declare the gifts, which included tickets to an adaptation of the classic children’s novel Ballet Shoes at the National Theatre over Christmas.
Ms Reeves had only listed the donation in the register for ministers, not MPs.
In an email to standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg, Ms Reeves suggested the tickets were received in her capacity as chancellor, but that “there is often ambiguity as to whether hospitality I receive is purely as a result of my role as a minister, or whether it is additionally received in my capacity as an MP”.
“Therefore, to be as transparent as possible, it is my ongoing intention to declare hospitality of this nature on both registers,” Ms Reeves added.
After investigating the entry, Mr Greenberg accepted there had been an inadvertent breach, but told the chancellor she could have avoided the mistake by paying “greater attention to the rules”.
Ms Reeves apologised and promised future gifts would be registered in line with Commons rules.
The investigation centred on two donations of tickets by the National Theatre. One was a show and dinner last March, valued at £265, and the other was for the December show, valued at £276.
The inquiry came at a damaging time for Ms Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer, as it was announced on the eve of the local elections, in which the party suffered heavy losses.
She previously faced criticism from MPs for accepting free tickets to a Sabrina Carpenter performance while outlining plans to cut benefits by £5bn.
Last year, she also pledged she would not accept any more free clothes from donors after Labour’s first months in power were overshadowed by a row over freebies.
It came after the chancellor used her Mansion House speech to vow to “take the boot of regulation off the throat of businesses”, unveiling a bonfire of red tape to boost the economy.
She said: “In too many areas, regulation still acts as a boot on the neck of businesses, choking off the enterprise and innovation that is the lifeblood of growth.
“Regulators in other sectors must take up the call I make this evening not to bend to the temptation of excessive caution but to boldly regulate for growth in the service of prosperity across our country.”
She told her audience of bankers and investors: “We have been bold in regulating for growth in financial services and I have been clear on the benefits that will drive with a ripple effect across all sectors of our economy, putting pounds in the pockets of working people.”
