The chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, the deputy prime minister, Oliver Dowden, and the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, are among those who have benefited from a growing trend of politicians accepting giveaways.
Critics said the free tickets could leave MPs open to influence from the companies providing benefits, and questioned whether it was appropriate in a cost of living crisis to be taking thousands of pounds in hospitality not available to ordinary members of the public.
Several ministers have been hosted for nothing by companies. Hunt was taken to the Chelsea flower show by Lloyds Banking Group in a benefit worth more than £600, as well as accepting theatre and opera tickets.
Paul Scully, a science and technology minister, accepted £1,100 worth of tickets to a Billy Joel concert from the Betting and Gaming Council, and Wimbledon hospitality to the tune of £1,560 from the oil and gas company BP, while Andrew Griffith, a Treasury minister, accepted a £400 ticket to the Ashes and £2,000 of hospitality at Silverstone from his former employer, the broadcaster Sky.
Dowden declared five sets of free tickets including a £1,210 trip to the Chelsea flower show courtesy of Fenchurch Advisory, an investment firm run by the Tory donor Malik Karim, as well as trips to Ascot, the Royal Opera House and Formula One.
From Labour, Starmer was given tickets to a Coldplay concert in Manchester worth £698 by a concert promoter, while the Jockey Club gave him a box and hospitality at the Epsom Derby worth £3,716.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 24, 2023-Ausgabe von The Guardian.
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