MPs have been accused of failing to learn their lesson over freebies after taking almost \u00a3400,000 of hospitality to concerts, sport matches and other events this year, with Louise Haigh, Lucy Powell and Wes Streeting among those accepting tickets.<\/p>\n
Despite the outcry in 2024 over Keir Starmer accepting football tickets and gifts of clothing<\/a>, MPs appear to have been declaring hospitality since the start of the year on a greater scale than previously seen.<\/p>\n The most recent disclosures include \u00a3858 worth of tickets to a Harry Styles concert at Wembley from the PRS for Music industry group, which was accepted by Powell, the deputy leader and education secretary. And Wes Streeting, the defence secretary, accepted tickets to the Chelsea flower show from Lloyds Banking Group worth \u00a31,839.<\/p>\n Haigh also accepted a \u00a31,314 ticket to the Ivor Novello awards, while Anneliese Midgley, the chief whip, enjoyed Brit Awards hospitality for two worth \u00a33,432, hospitality at Cheltenham festival horse racing from the betting company Flutter worth \u00a3350, and tickets to the Grand National valued at \u00a3560. All were backbench MPs while accepting the hospitality and have now been elevated to cabinet jobs under Andy Burnham.<\/p>\n Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, accepted \u00a31,480 of tickets to the men\u2019s Wimbledon singles final while in her cabinet job, while Ellie Reeves, the attorney general, accepted a \u00a31,314 ticket to the Ivors while solicitor general.<\/p>\n Jannik Sinner serves against Alexander Zverev in the men\u2019s singles final at Wimbledon. Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, accepted tickets worth \u00a31,480 to the match. Photograph: Tom Jenkins\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Burnham declared hospitality worth about \u00a36,000 this year \u2013 mostly relating to his former role as the mayor of Greater Manchester, such as \u00a33,800 tickets to the Brit Awards in Manchester, but also \u00a3500 worth of tickets to Ladies\u2019 Day at the Grand National in Aintree.<\/p>\n The acceptance of free hospitality by MPs appeared to fall after mid-2024 when the spotlight fell on Starmer\u2019s string of free tickets to watch Arsenal football games. In March 2025, Rachel Reeves, the then chancellor, said she would not accept free concert tickets again<\/a> after she was criticised for using free tickets to take a family member to see Sabrina Carpenter at the O2 arena. She defended the decision on security grounds but said she would not do it again because she understood \u201chow people feel about it\u201d.<\/p>\n At the time, another government minister, Matthew Pennycock, said he had accepted \u201czero\u201d free concert tickets as he personally did not think it was appropriate. \u201cIf I want to go to a concert at the O2, I\u2019ll pay for it. But individual MPs, individual ministers, make their own decisions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The value of free tickets being accepted by MPs was at about \u00a3300,000 a year in 2025, according to the Times last December. But this appears to have increased, with almost \u00a3400,000 of complimentary tickets, hospitality and other gifts having been declared between January and July this year \u2013 not including foreign trips.<\/p>\n Sue Hawley, the director of Spotlight on Corruption, suggested MPs should consider whether they should accept free tickets. \u201cSome ministers and MPs appear to have short memories of the freebie-gate scandal that engulfed the first few months of Starmer\u2019s time in No 10,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cShowering MPs and ministers with gifts and hospitality is a tried and tested lobbying tactic by big business and foreign governments. There is no good reason why elected officials should be accepting jaunts and tickets to events that have nothing to do with their parliamentary or constituency business.\u201d<\/p>\n Olivia Dean performing at the Brit Awards in Manchester in February. Andy Burnham, the then mayor of Greater Manchester, accepted tickets to attend worth \u00a33,800. Photograph: Gareth Cattermole\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Duncan Hames, the director of policy at Transparency International UK, added: \u201cJust because something is permitted it is not necessarily appropriate.<\/p>\n \u201cMPs should be clear-eyed about why these invitations are really being offered. Before accepting hospitality, they should stop to consider what the company might be hoping to gain and what the public will make of it.\u201d<\/p>\n The scale of the declared hospitality may have gone up partly because ministers have become more consistent about declaring hospitality on the MPs\u2019 registe<\/a>r, after Starmer changed the rules around transparency. Previously, some ministers declared the value of their free tickets on the MPs\u2019 register and some only put it on the quarterly ministerial register without showing a value if they could argue it was connected to their government job.<\/p>\n Now both registers are updated at least monthly and have to show how much the hospitality or gifts were worth. Ticket prices have also risen, with many consumers complaining about the unaffordable costs of going to events.<\/p>\n