Minister Audibly Squirms As Kay Burley Brings Up Labour Sleaze Row

Kay Burley cornered the Labour Party chair on Tuesday over the ongoing sleaze row.

Labour peer Lord Alli was given a pass to No.10 immediately after the general election, despite not being a political adviser or senior civil servant.

While ministers claim he no longer has such high security clearance, the matter has still caused alarm. 

When the Sky News host brought it up in their interview this morning, the party chair Ellie Reeves replied: “I understand it was for a period of a few weeks when we first got into government. Lord Alli is a well-respected Labour peer.”

“Shouldn’t have access to Downing Street though!” Burley interjected.

While Reeves said he did not contribute to any policy decisions, Burley cut in: “It doesn’t matter!”

Reeves just pushed on: “It’s not unusual for a, errrr, political figure, er, to have a pass, errrr, as far as I’m aware, no rules have been broken, and he doesn’t have a pass anymore.”

“Nothing to do with the fact that he personally donated quite a lot of money to Keir Starmer’s campaign?” Burley asked.

“Er, no,” Reeves stuttered.

What about the £20,000 of clothes and glasses he gave him?” Burley said.

Reeves claimed that had nothing to do with it, just reiterated Alli’s position as a peer and how he held Labour in the general election.

Burley persisted: “Lots of other people helped you win the general election, do they have a pass too?”

“I can’t comment on who has passes and who hasn’t got passes to No,10, and I think you’d appreciate that,” the minister said.

The presenter refused to let the matter go though, and asked: “OK, let me ask this another way. Is it reasonable for anyone who donates a significant amount of money to have access to the seat of power in our country?”

“Well, there’s no rules that prevent someone who has made a donation or had a political job in the past having a role – there are rules that have to be followed, there are processes which have to be followed,” she said.

She then refused to say who may have issued the pass, saying she did not know all of the details.

Burley also cornered Reeves over Starmer’s recent claim that “things will get worse” across the UK before Labour improves them.

She said: “How are things going to get worse before they get better? They’re pretty bad already, aren’t they?”

Reeves said “things don’t change overnight,” but Burley asked for specifics.

She said they had already spoken to NHS bosses about increasing hospital appointments, adding: “We talked in the election campaign about getting 6,500 more teachers in schools.”

But Burley hit back: “What I am asking you is what’s going to get worse.”

Reeves ignored that and continued: “We’ve come into government, we’ve fixed the disputes with the junior doctors so people can get the appointments that they need, we will be having those extra appointments, dental appointments – but there are no quick fixes, these things take time.”

She also pointed to the work they’ve done repealing the ban on onshore wind farms.

Burley pointed out: “Yeah, but you’re not answering my question, and I’ve asked you three times – let me move on.”