LABOUR’S freebie row deepened last night despite a minister’s attempts to Shake It Off — claiming gifted Taylor Swift tickets were “hard to turn down”.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has become the latest figure dragged into the goodies saga.
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She said she could not refuse the hospitality offer worth £552 from The FA for the August gig as thousands of normal fans struggled to get Eras Tour tickets.
Stoking the debate further, Ms Phillipson said at the start of her party’s annual conference in Liverpool: “Look, I’ll be honest, it was a hard one to turn down.
“I appreciate there was a big demand for the tickets, it was a privilege to be there.
“One of my children was keen to go along.
“It’s hard to say no when you’re offered tickets to something in those circumstances.
“But it was declared, I’ve been clear about that.
“But I do recognise that I’m in a fortunate position to be able to receive that.”
Ms Phillipson also came under fire for claiming a donor-funded birthday bash qualified as a “work” event.
Multi-millionaire Labour peer Baron Waheed Alli, who is present at this week’s Labour summit, stumped up £14,000 to pay for the frontbencher’s 40th party.
Schools chief Ms Phillipson told Times Radio the event was “in a professional context, where it was journalists, trade unionists, education people, and MPs”.
She added: “I didn’t even invite my own family, so it was not a personal event.”
The donations storm has overshadowed the start of the party’s first conference in power for 15 years.
On the first day of the get-together, Sir Keir Starmer avoided facing questions on sleaze claims that began with revelations he and his wife, Lady Victoria, accepted thousands of pounds worth of clothes and glasses from Lord Alli.
Deputy PM Angela Rayner was instead the one to defend the fledgling Government.
She said: “I get that people are frustrated, in particular the circumstances we are in, but donations for gifts and hospitality have been a feature of our politics for a very long time.
“People can look it up and see what people have had donations for, and the transparency is really important.
“I get that people are angry, I get that people are upset.”
‘SICKENED’
Ms Rayner and Chancellor Rachel Reeves have also taken clothing from mega-donor Lord Alli.
The pair — along with Sir Keir and Lady Victoria — have vowed never to accepts such gifts again.
Meanwhile, Ms Rayner has also been forced to deny she breached Commons rules by staying in Lord Alli’s £1.9million New York apartment.
She declared the trip the parliamentary register of interests, but did not disclose she had met up with her on-off boyfriend, the former Labour MP Sam Tarry.
The Deputy PM insisted it was not a joint holiday and that he happened to be there at the same time as her.
She told the BBC: “I don’t believe I broke any rules.
“I had the use of the apartment and I disclosed I had use of the apartment.”
Meanwhile, York Central MP Rachael Maskell, who has led calls against the winter fuel payment cuts, risked sparking a party civil war as she voiced her disgust at the behaviour of some of her colleagues.
She said: “I have been sickened by revelations of ‘donations’.
“It grates against the values of the Labour Party, created to fight for the needs of others, not self.”
The Tories also hit out at their Labour rivals, claiming that “the only change they offer is a change of clothes”.
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OLD RED EYES IS BACK
ANGELA Rayner fought back tears yesterday as she opened Labour conference for the first time as Deputy Prime Minister.
The room in Liverpool exploded into applause as she took to the stage, visibly emotional.
Ms Rayner, 44, said it was “the great honour of my life” to stand before the packed hall, marking Labour’s first conference in 15 years as the party in power.
The Communities Secretary then told members: “You entrusted us with the task of change and we will not forget it.”
Her speech included a pledge to scrap anti-strike laws and bolster workers’ rights, with legislation planned for next month.
By Martina Bet
PM’s pay row aide will skip meet-up
SIR Keir Starmer’s top aide Sue Gray will skip the Labour conference this week amid a briefing war over her salary.
While other advisers faced cuts after the election, the PM’s chief of staff was revealed last week to be paid £170,000 a year — around £3,000 more than her own boss.
As tensions continued to mount, Downing Street confirmed that she would not attend the four-day convention in Liverpool.
Labour MPs have rallied to Ms Gray’s defence, claiming the pay row was a bid to target her in a smear campaign.
Deputy PM Angela Rayner said: “It angers me — as someone who has been a trade union rep — that somehow it’s OK to demonise workers in their workplace.”
By Martina Bet
