UK PM Starmer faces investigation over undeclared clothing purchases for wife

London: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces investigation over undeclared clothing purchases for his wife Victoria from a financial donor, media reports said.

The prime minister broke parliamentary rules by failing to declare the fact that a multimillionaire businessman and donor to his party bought expensive clothes for his wife, according to the newspaper.

A member of the House of Lords, Waheed Alli, covered Starmer's wife's expenses, including for a personal shopping consultant and clothes, both before and after Starmer became the prime minister, the publication said.

Starmer's office refused to tell the newspaper the total cost of the gifts made to Starmer's wife, as well as the period during which Victoria Starmer received them. A source told the newspaper that this information would be published later.

The newspaper pointed out that Alli, who previously chaired the board of directors of clothing store Asos, was Starmer's largest personal donor. This year, he gave the British prime minister clothes and glasses worth more than 18,000 British pounds (about $24,500), and also spent 20,000 British pounds (more than $26,000) on Starmer's housing during the election period and the same amount on the prime minister's office expenses.

The publication emphasized that since Starmer came to power, Alli has acquired wide influence in the British ruling circles, which most ministers do not have. Over 20 years, he has donated almost one million British pounds (about $1.3 million) to the Labour Party, of which 500,000 since 2020. According to the newspaper, politicians and businessmen regularly gather at his house.