Tory calls for inquiry into Labour Together ties to Starmer's 2020 leadership bid

The Conservatives have asked Parliament's standards commissioner to investigate whether Sir Keir Starmer failed to declare support from Labour Together during his 2020 leadership bid, in a letter to the standards chief. Kevin Hollinrake, the Conservative Party chairman, says publicly available material and reporting in the Times-backed Get In book indicate Labour Together provided polling, messaging and speechwriting help to Starmer as he sought to become Labour leader after Jeremy Corbyn.

Starmer had listed some Labour Together backers in his parliamentary register of interests but did not disclose donations in kind from the group. Downing Street said everything connected to the leadership campaign was declared in the appropriate registers. The letter notes that Morgan McSweeney, who ran Labour Together at the time, later became Starmer's chief of staff, and argues that the involvement of McSweeney strengthens concerns about the transparency of the support received during the campaign. Hollinrake described the absence of declarations as having hallmarks of a Downing Street cover up and urged Starmer to come clean about the assistance he received from Labour Together. Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook dismissed the allegations as mudslinging and said any potential breach would be investigated by the commissioner if a reference is made; he added that if the information is accurate, the inquiry should be straightforward because declarations were properly made.

The letter follows Conservative calls for scrutiny by the Electoral Commission, and potentially police investigators, into how Labour Together handled donations while McSweeney led the group. The Electoral Commission fined Labour Together £14,250 for its handling of almost £740,000 in donations in 2021. Over the weekend, several outlets reported leaked emails that allegedly showed McSweeney seeking to mislead the commission. McSweeney has been approached for comment. The Electoral Commission said it was considering the information and would respond in due course.

Labour Together said it proactively raised concerns about its reporting of donations to the Electoral Commission in 2020. The commission's investigation into Labour Together was completed in 2021 and publicized at the time; since then the group says it has taken steps to ensure compliance with Electoral Commission rules.

The dispute highlights ongoing scrutiny of fundraising and transparency in UK politics, including the relationship between party campaigns and allied groups, as lawmakers examine how such arrangements are disclosed and regulated.