Starmer took sport freebies worth tens of thousands of pounds while PM

Outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer took sport-related freebies worth tens of thousands of pounds in his two years at Downing Street.

Official data declared by the Prime Minister in the register of accepted gifts and hospitality shows the sport-mad leader has enjoyed £33,000 worth of perks since winning a landslide victory for his Labour Party in 2024.

By far the largest provider of hospitality has been football club Arsenal, of which Starmer is a fan and season ticket holder.

Starmer accepted Directors’ Box tickets worth £20,000 from the Premier League champions, offered to him at a value of £500 apiece. It was deemed a security risk for Starmer to remain in his usual seats while Prime Minister and it is uncertain whether he will return to his usual season ticket spots following the coronation of Andy Burnham on Monday.

Gunners take top spot

Other football-related freebies – including Taylor Swift tickets provided by the Football Association – came to a total of £5,800. These included hospitality offerings from the EFL for the Carabao Cup final – valued at £900 – and two tickets in the Directors Box at Brighton and Hove Albion for just £250.

He also took hospitality to attend the Women’s Euros final, an Arsenal match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and tickets from the Football Association of Ireland.

Neil Bailey, chief executive of Pitch Hospitality, told City AM: “Most of these are very high-end, money cannot buy tickets – the most premium experience and the best seats in the stadium. The price or value would reflect that.

“Most people would not be able to access and if they could, ordinary folk would not be able to afford them.

“Given the average hospitality prices in those stadiums and top end pricing for the best facilities, these estimates seem low.

“A more realistic value would be a five-to-ten times multiple of the suggested prices.”

Starmer freebies

Beyond football, Starmer took over £8,000 in hospitality tickets and memberships from a range of sports such as the Olympics and Paralympics. He also received an honorary membership from Ellesborough Golf Club worth £2,000 and tickets to horse racing at Ascot and Doncaster worth a combined £2,500.

A Government spokesperson said: “The Government is committed to transparency. That’s why we updated the Ministerial Code in November 2024 to strengthen transparency requirements and set out clear principles governing the acceptance of gifts and hospitality.

“It’s an important part of a minister’s role to represent the government and engage with civil society, businesses and institutions across the country.”