Guardian view on gifts and lobbying: an own goal Labour should have avoided | Editorial
Ihe Questions from the announcers The comments on the gifts were resounding: “But do you understand it?” and “Can’t you see what it looks like?” Judging by the responses given by Sir Keir Starmer and Jonathan ReynoldsThe worrying answer seems to be: not really. Of course, as Sir Keir said, there are “human explanations” for his decision to accept hospitality worth tens of thousands of pounds from Premier League football clubs: primarily, that he wants to continue attending Arsenal games with his son safely. The free loan of a central London flat during the election period was also attributed to family circumstances.
But at a time when public trust in political and other institutions is fragile and party loyalties are less secure than ever, the fallout from the prime minister's declaration of interests, which includes gifts worth £107,000, is a clumsy own goal. Nor can it be dismissed as an isolated mistake, when several older colleagues They are also involved. Labour won government on a promise of change that referred explicitly to conduct and policy. Sir Keir’s pride in his working-class background and the values of decency and tenacity he inherited from it were a key part of his pitch to voters, and a point of difference from the Conservatives, whom Labour ridiculed for cronyism and lack of probity.
It is remarkable, given this background and Sir Keir's emphasis on public service, that he and his advisers were not more aware of the risks associated with donations. These are particularly acute in relation to football. The Premier League is pushing for dilute the powers of a new regulator. The danger is not just that the Prime Minister and others will lose the confidence of the general public, but that specific policies will be (or appear to be) tainted. Quadrature Capital, a Cayman Islands-based hedge fund with investments in fossil fuels, has also been found to be donated £4 million to the Labour Party in May, raising questions about the newly appointed climate envoy, Rachel Kyte, who is linked to Climate Square Foundation.
In his Conference speechThe Labour leader made a joke about the British public's distaste for politicians. It should be an advantage to see it clearly. And yet, somehow, he and others decided that the cynical mood did not apply to them; that their good intentions could insulate them from public anger at the spectacle of those at the top of society enjoying advantages that most people can only dream of.
The place of money in politics is a complicated question. Of course, individuals and organisations use their resources, financial and human, to advance their goals and interests, but in a functioning democracy, the influence of funders (the most powerful of which are corporations) is mediated by public opinion and parliament. Laws should not be bought or appear to be bought.
The Labour Party should not be judged on this issue alone, and Voters are unlikely to leave the party en masse. They will wait to see whether the government can deliver on promised improvements to the NHS. But Downing Street must not be complacent. For ministers to be linked so soon to questions about paid lobbying could do serious damage to this government, as it once did to the NHS. Tony Blair.
Rebuilding public trust in politics, and not just in their party, is arguably the biggest challenge facing Labour, and is key to blocking the The rise of the populist rightThe ministerial code must be updated quickly. Less than three months after taking office, the government needs to make a 180-degree turn.
