Boris Johnson has lashed out at Sir Keir Starmer for accepting donations for suits and spectacles, saying it makes him look “greedy”.
The former prime minister, who allowed a Tory donor to contribute hundreds of thousands of pounds to the refurb of his Downing Street flat, told LBC’s Nick Ferrari that the donation scandal surrounding the Labour party looks a bit grubby.
He said: “I want you to know, I have no donors paying for my suits. Or spectacles. Who pays for your spectacles? You pay for your spectacles, don’t you? It’s unbelievable.
“I mean, the guy (Sir Keir), he’s a silk, right? I mean, he must be worth a bob or two. Why has he got some guy paying for his spectacles?”
Johnson, who is promoting his memoir, Unleashed, questioned why Starmer had accepted lavish gifts from the Labour peer and donor Lord Alli when he was “on a perfectly good salary from the government anyway”.
He added: “You know, that looks greedy, right? But if you then give the guy a pass to No 10, that looks corrupt. And so I just don’t get it. I don’t know why he’s still wearing those spectacles.
“Well, apart from the fact he can’t see. He can’t see what a mess he’s making of things.”
Johnson has received numerous donations towards his lifestyle. He received a donation worth £23,853 from the longtime Conservative benefactor, the JCB boss Anthony Bamford, towards his wedding to Carrie Symonds in 2022. The donation covered the cost of hiring a marquee, Portaloos, waiting staff, flowers, a South African barbecue and an ice-cream van.
Bamford’s wife, Carole, also donated luxury food from her business, Daylesford Organic, to the former prime minister.
He also notoriously received contributions from Lord Brownlow towards the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat – the Electoral Commission ultimately fined the Tory party over the donation as it was not declared properly.
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