When Starmer revealed he had “moved” into Alli’s £18 million Covent Garden penthouse for 45 nights this summer—leaning on his son as a convenient excuse—many were left scratching their heads at the astonishing bargain he managed to secure. According to his registered interests, Starmer valued the accommodation donation at £20,437.28, covering his stay from May 29 to July 13, 2024. Quite the deal for a sprawling 4,860 square-foot residence right in heart of Soho…
To put it into perspective, renting a mere 800-square-foot luxury apartment in Soho for the same duration could set you back over £31,000, at market prices. A massively larger £18 million property, with three en suite bedrooms, would be considerably more…
MPs are meant to declare the use of accommodation at market rates. A conservative 5% yield on Lord Alli’s place would typically fetch an annual rent of around £900,000—meaning Starmer’s six-week sojourn could be worth a staggering £110,966. Given that MPs are required to declare the market value of any donations, the figure of £20,000 for such an opulent central penthouse is a massive under-declaration…
Number 10 also continues to spin the narrative that Starmer didn’t need to declare his supposedly “one-off” Covid video filmed at Alli’s residence (it’s not a one off, as Guido has reported). Starmer claims it was worth less than £300 – therefore did not need to be declared. But it is impossible to find even a basic studio in Covent Garden for that price. A day’s rental for a recording studio in Soho can easily start at around £650, and that is without the technical equipment. There is no way using Lord Alli’s house as a tv studio for a BBC One broadcast has a market value of under £300…
Labour insiders say Alli’s penthouse study is armed to the hilt with full broadcast equipment akin to a top-end media studio. The parliamentary authorities are going to have to investigate…
UPDATE: The luxury penthouse next to Alli’s goes for £1,800 a day. And it’s only 2,000 square foot compared to Alli’s 4,800 square foot pad….
Kemi Badenoch defended her decision not to force Tory councils to hold elections in May, telling GB News:
“It is Conservative policy that we should have elections, but I’m not a dictator. You know Nigel Farage, no one else makes any decisions, he’s a one-man band.”