Keir Starmer has dodged a question about why a Labour donor paid for clothes for him and his wife.
The prime minister is accused of breaching parliamentary rules by failing to initially declare that multi-millionaire businessman Lord Alli had bought £5,000-worth of clothes for Victoria Starmer.
It has previously been confirmed that the Labour peer had paid for £20,000-worth of suits and glasses for the PM.
Foreign secretary David Lammy suggested on Sunday that taxpayers should pay for Mr and Mrs Starmer to “look their best” when representing the UK on the world stage.
Asked today what he would say to people who believe the couple should be paying for their own course, Starmer failed to give a straight answer.
He said: “It’s very important to me that the rules are followed. I’ve always said that. I said that before the election, I’ve reinforced it after the election.
“And that’s why, shortly after the election, my team reached out for advice on what declaration should be made so it’s in accordance with the rules. They then sought out for further advice more recently, as a result of which they made the relevant declarations.
“But for me it’s really important that the rules are followed. That’s why I was very pleased my team reached out proactively, not once but twice, because it is very important that we have transparency, very important that you and others can see the rules are being followed.”
Home secretary Yvette Cooper had earlier insisted that taxpayers should not have to pay for the Starmers’ clothes.
She said: “That’s not the way we do things in this country. I think this is a political donation and I don’t know the details of the donation, but donations are always declared in the proper way.”