Key facts
- Outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer accepted sport-related freebies worth tens of thousands of pounds.
- Official data indicates the total value of these perks is £33,000.
- Gifts included Directors' Box tickets from Arsenal, hospitality for the Women's Euros final, and tickets from the Football Association of Ireland.
- Other accepted items included Olympic and Paralympic hospitality, golf club membership, and horse racing tickets.
Outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer accepted sport-related freebies valued at tens of thousands of pounds during his time in Downing Street, according to official data. The register of accepted gifts and hospitality shows Starmer received perks totaling £33,000 since his party's 2024 election victory.
Arsenal, a club of which Starmer is a fan and season ticket holder, provided the largest share of these benefits, including Directors' Box tickets worth an estimated £20,000. Other football-related freebies, such as hospitality offerings from the EFL for the Carabao Cup final and tickets to Brighton and Hove Albion, along with Taylor Swift tickets provided by the Football Association, amounted to £5,800.
Starmer also accepted hospitality to attend the Women's Euros final, an Arsenal match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and tickets from the Football Association of Ireland. Beyond football, he received over £8,000 in hospitality tickets and memberships for events including the Olympics and Paralympics. Additionally, he was given an honorary membership from Ellesborough Golf Club valued at £2,000 and tickets to horse racing at Ascot and Doncaster worth a combined £2,500.
Neil Bailey, chief executive of Pitch Hospitality, commented that many of these were high-end, "money cannot buy" tickets, suggesting the estimated values might be low and a more realistic valuation could be five to ten times higher. A government spokesperson affirmed the administration's commitment to transparency, noting the update to the Ministerial Code in November 2024 to strengthen requirements for accepting gifts and hospitality.