The Labour Party spent nearly half a million pounds, received from controversial private donors, to fund extra office staff. Private donors – including gambling firms and climate sceptics – handed over more than £1m to MPs, more than half of which went to four Labour frontbenchers. Other donors include banks, property firms and evangelical Christians.
The donations, declared by 24 MPs in the year to November 2022, went towards additional staffing and office costs.
Analysis of the Register of Members’ Financial Interests showed that almost half of the £1m went to Rachel Reeves, Yvette Cooper, David Lammy and Wes Streeting.
In total, they received £475,000 between them.
Ms Reeves accepted nearly £248,000 – far more than any other MP.
Her donors include Neil Goulden, the former chairman of gambling giant Gamesys, who gave £20,000 to “support the shadow chancellor’s office”.
Shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting received more than £95,000 of private funding for extra staff.
This included £5,000 from Red Capital Ltd, which is owned by former lobbyist and Labour peer Jon Mendelsohn, chair of gambling giant 888 Holdings, the company behind William Hill.
According to OpenDemocracy’s analysis of the MP’s Register of Interests, Mr Streeting also received money from a mysterious company called MPM Connect.
Reports recently claimed that MPM Connect has no staff, no website and is registered at an office where the secretary has never heard of it.
