Keir Starmer condemns benefits after claiming eye watering expenses and freebies

Writing in the Telegraph, Keir Starmer has condemned benefits “handouts from the state”, saying they lack “dignity”. But Starmer claimed vast amounts of expenses while he was Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). He spent nearly three times the public money of his successor.

While Labour Party leader, Starmer has also accepted more freebies than all other Labour leaders since 1997 combined.

Starmer benefits: chauffeur car on the taxpayer or quick tube?

As head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) from 2008-13, Starmer spent almost a quarter of a million of public money on travel expenses. That includes £161,273 for a chauffeur driven car, despite Starmer living a four mile direct tube ride from CPS offices. Instead of the tube fare, he spent an average of £1,920 a week for almost two years. And he only stopped because of media reports.

Yet in the Telegraph, Starmer writes “It isn’t fair for working people to lose more of their money… That is an issue of conviction for me”.

Starmer’s successor as DPP Alison Saunders also served for five years. She spent £67,340 in travel expenses compared to Starmer’s £236,485.

Starmer received £1m in salary and took home £336,000 in publicly funded pension benefits over five years. Still, he found time to claim £7.24 for a taxi in Washington.

Corporate freebies too for the Labour leader

Despite spending the first year and a half in lockdown as Labour leader, Starmer has managed to rack up more freebies than all other Labour leaders combined, since records began. Starmer accepted donor gifts from multimillionaires, along with gambling, construction, and shopping corporations. In total, they were worth nearly £30,000.

By contrast, Jeremy Corbyn only accepted tickets to Glastonbury 2017 in his five years as Labour leader. He spoke on the Pyramid stage. Ed Miliband, meanwhile, only accepted tickets to the Olympics and Paralympics.

Starmer is condemning benefits claimants, despite almost 40% of Universal Credit recipients working but facing low pay. He has no plans to raise the minimum wage, nor to require huge corporations to pay higher wages in reflection of their profits, thereby reducing the benefits bill.

On top of that, Starmer himself claimed nearly a quarter of a million in expenses, much more than any benefit claimant. And he took all manner of freebies from corporations.

It’s yet more straight up hypocrisy from Starmer.

Featured image via Channel 4 – YouTube