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Political freebies matter immensely
Britain needs what it has never had: serious rules curtailing money in politics.
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Political freebies matter immensely. Nothing destroys trust in politics like the sight of grasping politicians on the make.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Simon Kuper
It’s an odd feeling when your private obsessions go mainstream. In June, I published a book about British corruption. Today, a favoured topic of the national political conversation is the free clothes, and Arsenal and Taylor Swift concert tickets given to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, his wife, and other senior figures in the ruling Labour Party.
It’s an international issue, too. New York’s Mayor Eric Adams is one of several Americans indicted for allegedly accepting presents from foreign states, in his case fancy travel. And Singapore is jailing a minister for taking gifts, including (of course) tickets to English football matches.
