Sir Keir Starmer’s top donor Lord Waheed Alli is being probed by a House of Lords watchdog over ‘alleged non-registration of interests’, it was disclosed today.
The House of Lords Commissioners for Standards said the millionaire businessman was being investigated over possible breaches of peers’ code of conduct.
Lord Alli has recently found himself at the centre of a ‘freebies’ row engulfing the Prime Minister, which has dogged Downing Street for weeks.
He is caught up in what has become known as ‘wardrobegate’ after splurging thousands of pounds on suits and glasses for Sir Keir ahead of the general election.
The Labour peer was also revealed to have bought high-end clothing for Sir Keir’s wife, Victoria, and provided free accommodation for the PM and his family.
His lavish gifts also extended to other senior Labour figures.
Lord Alli allowed Deputy PM Angela Rayner to stay in his plush New York apartment while on holiday, and he bankrolled a 40th birthday bash for Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson.
Under parliamentary rules, peers must register all their relevant interests and make sure any change in their relevant interests is registered within one month of the change.
A new listing on the Commissioners’ website today stated: ‘Lord Alli – Alleged non-registration of interests leading to potential breaches of paragraphs 14(a) and 17 of the thirteenth edition of the Code of Conduct for Members of the House of Lords.’
The only other peer listed as being under investigation is Baroness Mone, who has been caught up in a PPE scandal.
It was reported last month by OpenDemocracy how Lord Alli only added his directorship in a British Virgin Islands-based firm to his register of interests after being asked why it was missing.
Lord Alli told the website the omission was an ‘unintentional error’, adding: ‘I hadn’t realised until you asked that it wasn’t listed on my register of interests’.
He now lists his directorship in MAC (BVI) Limited as a ‘non-financial interest’.
Lord Alli is a media tycoon who has been known in political circles for years and donated to Labour for more than two decades.
His donations to senior Labour figures includes £20,000 declared by Sir Keir for accommodation during the general election campaign.
The PM has said this was to allow his son to study for his GCSEs in peace at Lord Alli’s central London flat, while the Starmer’s family home was surrounded by media.
Sir Keir has said Lord Alli was motivated to help financially because he wanted Labour to win the election.
There is no suggestion that the PM or members of his Cabinet broke any rules in accepting the freebies.
But there has been close scrutiny of Lord Alli’s links to Sir Keir after it emerged the Labour peer was given a No10 pass shortly after the party’s election win, despite seemingly not having a Government role.
His pass has since been handed back but Sir Keir has continued to be dogged by the row also dubbed as ‘passes for glasses’.
A spokesman for the House of Lords said they did not comment on ongoing investigations.