An investigation into the Labor leader was launched in June by the parliamentary standards commissioner, Catherine Stone, into allegations of late declaration of earnings and gifts, benefits or hospitality from British sources. Speaking at the time, Starmer said he was “absolutely confident” he had not breached the MPs’ code of conduct. The commissioner has now found that the Opposition Leader failed to list eight interests – five more than those alleged in the original complaint. However, it noted that “the breaches were minor and/or inadvertent and that there was no deliberate attempt to mislead”. The watchdog therefore decided that the investigation could be completed through the ‘correction’ process, without a referral to the standards committee, which happens in more serious cases. The correction process involves publishing the details and an apology on the House of Commons website. A Labor spokesman said: “Keir Starmer takes his responsibilities on the register very seriously and has apologized to the commissioner for this inadvertent error. He assured the Commissioner that his office’s procedures have been reviewed to ensure this does not happen again.” In the original complaint to the commissioner, it was alleged that between March 6 and May 13, 2022, Starmer had on three occasions failed to record income and hospitality he had accepted within the 28-day deadline set by the house. The watchdog undertook a review of Starmer’s registration over the past 12 months and noted four additional overdue entries. During the investigation, Starmer also informed Stone that he was in the process of selling a plot of land for a sum that exceeded the house’s £100,000 registration threshold. Stone found that Starmer had failed to register the eight interests, including the plot, and had “breached paragraph 14 of the House of Commons code of conduct for members of parliament”. However, he continued: “I have found that, based on the information available to me, the breaches were minor and/or inadvertent and that there was no deliberate attempt to mislead. “I therefore decided that the investigation could be completed through the 35 correction process available to me under Standing Order No. 150″. Starmer received an £18,450 advance from publisher HarperCollins in April for a book he is writing, in which he is expected to set out his vision for Britain. The amount – which he pledged to donate to charity – was declared a day late, while declarations of rights for two legal books published before he became an MP were also delayed. Starmer also used a two-man director’s box at the Crystal Palace football team – worth £720 – when the team thrashed his supporters, Arsenal, 3-0 on April 4. Not listed until May 5th. Received four tickets for Watford v Arsenal, worth a total of £1,416, for their match on 6th March. The gift was registered on May 6. Just Eat also gave its staff tickets to the Taste of London festival and the British Kebab Awards. Donations from the company exceeded the £300 mark for registration on 29 October but were not reported until 23 December.
