The saga of ‘Free Gear Keir’ continues to rumble on with not a day going by without some story about donated freebies going to various Labour Party figures. The whole seediness about this tale and the public disgust at it has contributed to Labour dropping down in popularity so soon after the election and robbing the party of any ‘honeymoon period’ that they might have expected.

The Reform MP Rupert Lowe has waded into the row with all the energy of an on form heavyweight boxer tackling a decidedly lesser opponent. He’s come out and said what many may be thinking such as how those around Sir Keir Starmer have had their ‘noses in the trough’ and added that although the Labour Party has not broken the letter of the Bribery Act 2010, ‘they’ve broken the spirit of it’.

Mr Lowe took to X (formerly Twitter) to lay into the Labour Party and express his disgust at the current scandal.

Mr Lowe said:

Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Peter Mandelson and Alastair Campbell, aided by Derry Irvine, were responsible for undermining the unwritten constitution, fostering the rise of quangos and passing a raft of divisive laws.

One of the laws was the Bribery Act of 2010 Section 1 of which defines the crime of bribery as occurring when a person offers, gives or promises to give a “financial or other advantage” to another individual in exchange for “improperly” performing a “relevant function or activity”. Section 2 covers the offence of being bribed and the law applies to both private and public bodies.

The collateral damage of the Bribery Act 2010 was to snuff out corporate entertainment on a wide scale for fear of its capture which included tickets to football matches, the Chelsea Flower Show and most other common forms of corporate hospitality. It is enforced with gusto by the FCA and PRA in our increasingly failing financial markets but unusually there does not appear to be a quango with specific responsibility for this Act despite political parties being organisations.

The Labour Party front bench, with Keir Starmer well out in front, have all had their snouts in the trough with their declarations to Parliament appearing to mutate like a virus as the whole charade unwinds. Keir Starmer, his wife, Bridget Phillipson, David Lammy and Angela Rayner have all been beneficiaries of Lord Alli’s largesse.

To the untrained eye it seems obvious that a party donation is acceptable while personal gifts and benefits need a great deal more care if they are to meet the Electoral Commission Standards. It now seems that politicians are running the argument that paying living expenses are legitimate donations which would appear to be at odds with the Bribery Act.

Thousands of pounds of clothing and spectacles are questionable. Clothing for spouses, tickets for personal entertainment trips to New York with accommodation, birthday parties and other events must be difficult to justify under the law.

It is almost unbelievable to accept that as a top Human Rights Lawyer, “Free Gear Keir” could not have questioned any of this “Pork Barrelling”. Lord Alli is an openly gay Muslim peer who is understood to have been persuaded to join the Labour Party by Emily Thornberry of white van fame, who was his erstwhile neighbour.

Lord Alli is politically very active and has been prominent in the campaign to repeal Section 28 which banned Local Authorities from “Promoting” homosexuality and the battle to equalise the age of consent to 16.

His influence has grown under Starmer with recent questions over the multiple personal gifts as well as access to a security pass to Number 10. He appears to have regularly met with President Assad of Syria and has also funded Sue Gray’s son (now an MP) in his recent election campaign to the tune of £10,000.

There is also controversy over the activities of Matthew Faulding who oversaw candidate selection for the Labour Party for this year’s General Election. He had worked in Lord Alli’s office and there was controversy over Starmer friendly candidates being parachuted into constituencies such as Josh Simmons, Calvin Bailey, James Asser and Luke Akehurst.

There is, in my opinion, enough circumstantial evidence to suggest that even if the letter of the Bribery Act has not been broken, the spirit certainly has been.

I raised this issue of the Bribery Act to Parliamentary authorities, with no success.

It is a moot point as to whether “an improper performance of a person’s function or activity in consequence” has resulted from Lord Alli’s actions. Should he have had a pass to No. 10 with his Assad friendly views? Should his employee, Matthew Faulding, have been able to decide on Labour candidates? Is this a form of gerrymandering and influence?

The Labour MP for Canterbury, Rosie Duffield’s resignation letter accusing the PM of presiding over “sleaze” and “apparent avarice” had expressed the dismay that perhaps we all feel. The utter lack of remorse and concern shown by Starmer is palpable. I suspect Rosie Duffield has signalled the first fissure in the Labour Party between Centre and Hard Left.

My guess is that the affairs of Matthew Faulding could yet represent another area of contention. Views from Parliament have been remarkably quiet in comparison to the howls from the media suggesting that possibly the ethical gap between party donation and personal gifts are still not well understood. There also appears to be confusion over Parliamentary Standards and surely the Police should be doing more to ensure that the Bribery Act has not been breached.