People are already angry with Labour, admits John McDonnell | LBC

Matt Frei is joined by Lucy Fisher and John McDonnell as Labour Conference threatens to be overshadowed by scandal.

Fellow socialist MP Diane Abbott has accused her party leader of being ‘in the pocket of millionaires’, amid a deepening row over donations and gifts to ministers.

Starmer, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and deputy PM Angela Rayner promised on Friday that they would no longer accept donations for clothing. It comes as Labour MPs head to the party conference in Liverpool, which begins on Sunday.

The backlash to the donations comes against the backdrop of the government attempting to position itself in contrast to the reputation of the previous Conservative administration.

It comes after it was revealed that the PM has received over £100,000 of gifts and hospitality since 2019.

Sir Keir came under fire after accepting work clothing donations worth £16,200, and multiple pairs of glasses, to the value of £2,485 from prominent Labour donor Lord Alli. But until Friday, the PM had continued to defend his actions.

It emerged that Ms Rayner has also accepted clothing donations worth around £2,200 from Lord Alli.

Ms Reeves admitted that she had accepted money for clothes on Friday too.

She has received around £7,500 for clothing since 2023 from a donor called Juliet Rosenfeld. The donations were registered as “support” for her office.

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