Jon Trickett hits out at 'undemocratic' Keir Starmer amid leadership donations row
3 min read
A Labour row has erupted after a key ally of Rebecca Long-Bailey accused Keir Starmer of being "undemocratic" for refusing to publish a list of donors to his leadership campaign.
Jon Trickett said the Shadow Brexit Secretary had broken his promise reveal who was funding his campaign by Monday.
Appearing on ITV's Peston show last week, Sir Keir insisted that his team had given details of all his donors to the parliamentary authorities, and it was up to them to publish them.
Both Ms Long-Bailey and fellow Labour leadership hopeful Lisa Nandy have independently released a list of all donations they have received above £1,500.
Shadow Cabinet Office minister Mr Trickett said: "Keir Starmer promised last week that he would publish his donations yesterday but there is still no sign of them.
"We need to put an end to the secrecy surrounding political donations, which means political donations being declared in real time.
"Whether it's in general elections or internal party elections, delaying publishing donations until the vast majority of people have voted is entirely undemocratic. Voters deserve to know what lies behind the candidates they are being asked to vote for, before they cast their vote, not afterwards."
Within an hour of Mr Trickett's comments, the Commons register of members' interests was updated to reveal a further £107,500 of cash donations to Sir Keir's campaign, including £100,000 from barrister and Labour supporter Robert Latham.
Mr Trickett's intervention is the latest attempt by supporters of Ms Long-Bailey to pile pressure on Sir Keir to reveal who is bankrolling him.
Unite boss Len McCluskey, whose union has given £200,000 to the Long-Bailey campaign, said: "Trust in politics and politicians is essential, which is why it is really important that all the leadership candidates declare where their campaign money comes from.
"In the Labour Party there should be no secret financiers sitting in the shadows."
Jeremy Corbyn - who has not said who he is backing in the campaign - also called on Sir Keir to reveal who is financing him.
The Labour leader told the Islington Gazette: "I think there always has to be openness in all respects, and when you receive financial support for a political campaign it's very important to know where it comes from, all of it should be published.
"I published everything in my leadership campaigns. The number of high-level, big ticket donors we had was very small, I leave that to others."
But a senior Labour source told PoliticsHome: "When Tony Blair made interventions in the 2015 leadership election, Jeremy Corbyn and his outriders were very clear that it wasn’t appropriate.
"He would do well to remember that he has just led Labour to our worst result in nearly a century after a decade of Tory austerity."
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