Do MPs need stricter rules on receiving 'freebies'?

Revelations about “freebies” received by the prime minister and several senior ministers from a single donor, the media and tech entrepreneur Lord Alli, drew widespread public disapproval and overshadowed the start of the Labour Party conference.

- MARY DEJEVESKY

Sir Keir Starmer and other beneficiaries, however, have insisted they have observed the rules and done nothing wrong...

Is there one set of rules for everyone?

No, there are several, depending on what sort of donations you are talking about. There are two main categories: donations to political parties and election candidates and donations to MPs and ministers. And there are rules not just on receiving but on who may give.

What are the rules for parties?

Donations to political parties and candidates can be made by anyone who is on a UK electoral register or any company or other organisation registered in the UK. But charities are excluded. Donations can be in money or kind, including, say, office provision. Parties must declare all donations above £500 and candidates must declare all above £50. Despite moves to introduce one, there is no upper limit, although there is an upper limit for what a party can spend in the year to an election, which was raised before the last election to £35m, which probably made the 2024 general election the most expensive ever.

How about the rules once someone has been elected?