SNP calls for investigation into Lord Alli donations and Downing Street pass

The SNP has asked for an investigation into donations to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Labour MPs by Lord Waheed Alli.

In a letter to the standards commissioners in the House of Commons and House of Lords, the independent adviser on ministers’ interests Sir Laurie Magnus and the Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, SNP MP Brendan O’Hara said the revelations have “become Sir Keir Starmer’s version of the expenses scandal”, and he also wants Lord Alli’s Downing Street pass – that he held for a time after the election – looked into.

Donations from Lord Alli, such as money that was spent on clothing, have been under scrutiny.

Mr O’Hara said that unless the matter is “comprehensively investigated” then it is “inevitable that the damaging drip, drip of revelations will continue to erode public trust”.

In the letter sent on Thursday, Mr O’Hara, the SNP’s Cabinet Office spokesman said: “The huge scale and highly questionable nature of these donations, at a time when the Labour Government is telling the public they need to tighten their belts and accept painful austerity cuts, including the removal of the winter fuel payment from pensioners, has given the impression that Labour government ministers are in it for themselves – that it is one rule for them, and austerity for everyone else.”

He later added: “I believe there now exists a clear and immediate public interest in launching a full and independent investigation into all of Lord Alli’s donations and gifts to the Prime Minister, Cabinet ministers and Labour Party MPs.

“There must also be an investigation into the decision to give Lord Alli a security pass to Downing Street, and into how – and why – it was used.”

On Thursday, Sir Keir defended using a home owned by Lord Alli for a video urging people to work from home during the Covid pandemic.

The clip in December 2021 was filmed at the flat in Covent Garden.

Speaking to journalists in New York during a visit to the United Nations, Sir Keir said: “Anybody who thinks that I was pretending it was my own home, the idea that I’ve got union jacks by my fireplace at home or that I would invite a bunch of you lot into my living room to have a look around… the idea that I was trying to pretend that it was my home is pretty farcical.”

Speaking on Thursday, Sir Keir added: “I understand why the public have questions about this. I think the best thing we can do is to explain the circumstances and be absolutely clear that nothing wrong has been done here.

“Everybody has complied with all of the rules. Sometimes it takes time to go through the individual examples, which may or may not put the context for people to see and make their own judgments.”

He had already defended using Lord Alli’s home so his son could revise for his GCSEs during the general election campaign.