Sarah Jones dodges question on Sir Keir Starmer’s popularity (Image: Parliament)
A minister has dodged admitting whether Sir Keir Starmer’s personal standing had been hit by the row over freebies.
Sarah Jones said stressed that the government was “worried” about the lack of trust in more widely but it was “something the PM is addressing”.
She added that he is “showing leadership” after he paid back more than £6,000 of gifts that were about to be made public.
covered the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four horse racing tickets for Doncaster and clothing loaned to his wife.
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Starmer isn’t in politics to be popular, says minister (Image: Getty)
Asked whether Sir Keir had done the right thing, Sarah Jones told Sky: “He said we need to have a look at the principles that sit behind the Ministerial Code.
“We’re looking at those and in advance of that going out he has paid back some of the tickets, some of the payments he had during his time as Prime Minister, and I think that is a thing he is doing in advance of looking at his principles and the code.”
Challenged on why he had not repaid his Arsenal tickets, Ms Jones said: “I don’t know the details of it. All of it is I know he has paid some payments back… It’s the right thing to do. Nobody is suggesting he’s broken any rules.”
“I think it’s good that we’re looking at those roles, as I say nobody’s broken any rules that exist at the moment. It’s somebody that nobody is suggesting. I think under the last government the issue was all about transparency.”
Pressed on Sir Keir’s unpopularity, Ms Jones said: “He is not going to be worrying about popularity. He hasn’t gone into politics to do that. But he is really clear that we need to build trust in politicians and politics.
“We are going to go govern in the way that we say we were, which is to drive up integrity, grow the economy and improve people’s lives, and make sure we listen to the public.”
It comes after Sir Keir and other Cabinet members – who vowed to “clean up” British politics – faced weeks of criticism for accepting tens of thousands of pounds worth of freebies from wealthy donors.
The Prime Minister has committed to overhauling hospitality rules for ministers to ensure better transparency about what is provided following the backlash.