Donorgate will haunt Keir Starmer for the rest of his time in office, says Jacob Rees-Mogg

It then emerged that the Prime Minister had been using Lord Alli’s £18 million Covent Garden apartment during the election campaign. The Telegraph reported that it understood the luxury penthouse was being used for strategy meetings and fundraising dinners.

However, on Radio 4 this morning, the Prime Minister sank to a new level: He used his son as a human shield.

He has defended the use of the apartment on the grounds that his son needed somewhere quiet to study for his GCSEs.

Well, I know the Bible says the sins of the father will be visited upon the son, but I didn't think it would ever be the other way round.

But upon closer inspection of Starmer's declaration concerning the free use of the apartment, which cost £20,400, something doesn't quite fit. Starmer declared his use of the flat on the 29th May 2024 to the 13th July 2024. But GCSEs started on the 9th May and ended on the 19th June.

In other words, the allegedly essential use of the apartment began weeks after GCSEs started and ended, nearly a month after GCSEs had finished. So if the apartment were used for his son's GCSEs, what was going on in the apartment for the three weeks after they had ended?

Starmer's efforts to cover up over donorgate mean he will not recover from it. He has used the classic politician's defence: ‘I did nothing wrong. It was within the rules. Everyone does it, but now I won't do it again’.

He and other ministers said they would no longer take freebie clothing now they're in office, especially after the hostility from Labour backbenchers and members.

Then yesterday, we saw another freebie on display from Lady Starmer in an entitled, if not arrogant, approach to the scandal, Or perhaps the masters just want to rub our noses in that overweening superiority as she wore another dress that was not her own.

And now, when it emerges he's been using Lord Alli's apartment, his dishonesty with the public, as was shown with Christopher Hope earlier today.

‘Well, all that happened is I wanted somewhere safe and quiet for my son to do his GCSE preparation. I needed it to be secure because of the situation we're in. Simply somebody saying, if you want somewhere quiet for your son to study whilst doing his GSCEs you can use this place here.’

So not only has the Reverend Starmer decided rather ungallantly to throw his son under the bus, he's also decided to be economical with the truth as the dates do not match the GCSE timetable.

There really is no recovery from this. Donorgate will haunt him as much as sausages will for the rest of his time in office.