A LABOUR minister today slammed Rachel Reeves over her “inappropriate” freebie grabs.
Fury at the Chancellor accepting gifted tickets to Sabrina Carpenter and the National Theatre hit boiling point as Matthew Pennycook suggested the moves were unfitting of a Cabinet member.
Rachel Reeves has sparked fury after it emerged she accepted freebie tickets to a Sabrina Carpenter gig[/caption]
On Sunday Ms Reeves defended accepting free tickets to the Espresso star’s gig, claiming it was for security reasons[/caption]
The Housing Minister told LBC: “I don’t personally think it’s appropriate.
“If I want to go to a concert at the O2 I’ll pay for it.
“But individual MPs, individual ministers make their own decisions.”
He added: “I think that the important thing is that everything is declared and above board, so individual people can make their choices as to whether they think it’s appropriate to take tickets on occasions.
“I personally haven’t done, as I said, at the O2, and wouldn’t do.”
READ MORE POLITICS
On Sunday Ms Reeves defended accepting free tickets to the Espresso star’s gig, claiming it was for security reasons.
The Chancellor said she went to the O2 Arena concert with a family member and insisted it was “the right thing to do” given her security needs.
She told the BBC: “I do now have security, which means it’s not as easy as it would have been in the past to just sit in a concert, although probably a lot easier for everyone concerned.
“So look, I took those tickets to go with a member of my family.
“I think that was the right thing to do from a security aspect.”
Asked whether she paid for the tickets, Ms Reeves said: “These weren’t tickets that you could pay for, so there wasn’t a price.
“Obviously there was a price, but they weren’t tickets you were able to buy.”
Reports of Ms Reeves’ enjoyment of corporate hospitality earlier this month, said to have been provided by AEG, sparked a backlash from Labour MPs unhappy with welfare cuts.
It also comes after Labour faced growing scrutiny over ministers accepting freebies – with Sir Keir Starmer and other Cabinet figures previously blasted for taking Taylor Swift tickets and luxury gifts.
The Chancellor is paid £158,851 per year.
She previously vowed shw would not accept clothing from donors after it was that she had received £7,500 worth of clothes in opposition, paid for by Labour’s Lord Ali.
This morning Tory leader Kemi Badenoch took a dig at Ms Reeves as she revealed she hasn’t accepted any freebie tickets to gigs in her role.
Asked if she has accepted any gifts as opposition chief, Ms Badenoch told TalkTV: “For things like concerts and so on, no not really.
“I get donations to help me with my job.
“So people give money and I can use it to pay for things, like transport, hiring other people, services and so on.”
