Labour lord at centre of freebies row under investigation over 'non-registration of interests'

It comes after the Prime Minister accepted thousands of pounds of gifts from the major party donor.

An update published on Parliament’s website stated that Lord Alli is being investigated by the Lords’ commissioner for "alleged non-registration of interests leading to potential breaches of paragraphs 14(a) and 17 of the thirteenth edition of the code of conduct".

His donations to Starmer reportedly covered the cost of a personal shopper, clothes, glasses and alterations for Lady Starmer, both before and after Labour's election victory in July.

He is also believed to have given money to education secretary Bridget Phillipson to fund a reception to mark her 40th birthday.

The Labour peer has donated more than £700,000 to the party in total, including £100,000 for Sir Keir’s 2020 leadership campaign.

Other donations from media tycoon include £20,000 declared by the Prime Minister for accommodation during the election campaign.

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Starmer said it was to allow his son to study for his GCSEs in peace at the former TV executive’s central London flat while the family home was surrounded by media.

The Labour leader has since committed to overhauling hospitality rules for ministers to ensure better transparency about what is provided.

There is no suggestion that the Prime Minister or members of his Cabinet broke any rules in accepting the freebies.

In August, it was also revealed that Lord Alli had been given a temporary Downing Street security pass despite having no formal government role.

Labour has previously denied any wrongdoing.

The rules say peers must register "all relevant interests, in order to make clear what are the interests that might reasonably be thought to influence their parliamentary actions".

The code of conduct also says: "Members are responsible for ensuring that their registered interests are accurate and up-to-date. They should register any change in their relevant interests within one month of the change".