Following freebies row, UK's Starmer pays back $8,000 worth of gifts

LONDON —

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wednesday it is ''right'' that he has paid back more than 6,000 pounds ($8,000) worth of gifts and hospitality, following a row over freebies.

For weeks, Starmer has faced criticism over the scale of the donations, which included clothes, eyeglasses and tickets to his beloved soccer team Arsenal, that he received over recent years.

During the last parliamentary term from 2019 to 2024, Starmer received around 100,000 pounds worth of donations, substantially more than any other member of parliament. Though the donations were legal and properly filed with officials in the U.K. Parliament, the row has dented Starmer's popularity ratings.

According to officials at his 10 Downing Street offices, Starmer has covered the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets at London's Wembley Stadium, four to a horse racing event and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer favored by his wife, Victoria Starmer.

''We are now going to bring forward principles for donations, because, until now, politicians have used their best individual judgment on a case-by-case basis. I think we need some principles of general application," he said while on a visit to Brussels. ''So, I took the position that until the principles are in place it was right for me to make those repayments.''

In an effort to bring the row, which also embroiled other leading members of his government, to a conclusion, Starmer has committed to overhauling hospitality rules for ministers in order to ensure better transparency.