Labour faces fresh row after offering companies breakfast with Business Secretary for £30,000
LABOUR is facing a fresh row after offering companies breakfast with the Business Secretary in return for £30,000.
The party invited bosses to a plush restaurant for the “rare chance” to “gain insight” from Jonathan Reynolds in return for sponsorship of the meal.
Those willing to cough up for their croissants are offered “distinct benefits” at the exclusive event — limited to just ten tickets.
For £15,000 they were offered a photo with the minister, but for the full £30,000 they got to choose who can come to the “dynamic meeting of business minds”.
Our exposé comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer battles cash for access allegations over his top freebie donor Lord Alli, who he handed a Downing Street pass.
In a pitch prepared by the Labour Party’s commercial team and emailed yesterday, invitees to The Ivy restaurant in Manchester are promised “a rare chance to gain insights, network and exchange ideas amongst peers and a Government minister”.
It adds: “We have carefully curated a package that offer [sic] distinct benefits, ensuring your brand receives optimal exposure and engagement during the event.”
The invitation was circulated to businesses by Liam Didsbury, who until recently was the Labour Party’s North West director.
‘Clumsily worded’ claim
After working for the party for more than 12 years he set up lobbying firm IEI Group, but yesterday insisted the business event had been organised by the party rather than his company.
His CV boasts numerous by-election wins and organising Sir Keir’s manifesto launch in June, as well as a “well established network” in the government.
Labour sources confirmed the invitation was genuine but said that while it was part of engaging with business, it was clumsily worded.
When quizzed by The Sun, allies of Mr Reynolds said he would no longer be taking part.
A Labour spokesman said: “He was completely unaware, and isn’t attending.”
Shadow minister Andrew Griffiths warned: “This is a clear offer to bend the Business Secretary’s ear over government policy.”
He added: “There are proper channels through which businesses can engage with the government on policy matters but this is something completely different and won’t appear in any public record.
“Labour has been in office for less than 100 days but we can already add ‘cash for croissants’ to ‘passes for glasses’ in the growing list of scandals engulfing this government.”
Labour has faced weeks of cash for access allegations after Sir Keir received freebies worth tens of thousands from his pal Lord Alli.
In the so-called “passes for glasses” row, the Labour peer was forced to return a Downing Street access card given to him after he donated suits and expensive eye-wear to the Prime Minister.
Sir Keir also stayed in the businessman’s luxury London penthouse during the general election — and questions remain over exactly what role Lord Alli played in Labour’s election campaign.
To try to quell the growing row, Sir Keir this week agreed to hand back more than £6,000 of donations and said he was tightening the rules over ministers’ gifts.
But the Tories have been quick to highlight the hypocrisy of his freeloading after repeated vows to clean up politics ahead of July’s election.
Labour was also forced to return donations in the early days of the Tony Blair government in 1997 after it was revealed the then boss of F1 Bernie Ecclestone handed the party £1million before the sport was made exempt from a tobacco ads ban.
'ACCESS CHARGE' STORM
By Harry Cole
FIRST it was civil service jobs for cronies, then it was “Passes for Glasses”.
Next it was dresses for the missus and a Swift u-turn on tickets for Taylor.
Now the self-appointed sleaze-buster Sir Keir Starmer has been hit by “Cash for Croissants.”
I’m sure it’s expensive to have breakfast at The Ivy, but £30,000 to sit down with a Cabinet minister stinks.
And what are these “distinct benefits” those with such deep pockets are promised in return for their early morning lucre?
I feel a little sorry for Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds – he has clearly been stitched up like a fresh kipper here.
There is no suggestion that he was aware he was being pimped out to the highest business bidder and he has been badly let down by his greedy party apparatchiks.
The speed in which he ditched attending this event adds an authenticity to his insistence he was unaware of this tawdry pitch from Labour’s tin-shakers.
But such quarter would never have been afforded to a Tory minister under the last Government.
I don’t make the rules.
Sir Keir Starmer set them when he promised to be whiter than whiter and do things differently.
Selling access to ministers is unethical at best, but also poses massive Ministerial Code problems: how many other similar events have already taken place?
No doubt Labour will scream in response that this is no different from the sort of ruse pulled by those evil Tories, but that misses the point.
Starmer promised a new era, he promised to be different.
He promised the days of sleaze are gone.
But I’ve said it before, and I will say it again… Here we have the man who stood on the steps of Downing Street promising that trust in politics could only be “healed by actions not words”, speaking with a forked tongue.