Labour donor row: Government says Lord Waheed Alli did have pass to Number 10 for a short time

the Sunday Times reported Lord wahed Ali a television executive who has donated to labor over the last 20 years had been given a pass granting him access to Downing Street despite not having an official government role labor said he did attend a small number of political meetings with no civil servants and said he gave back his pass at the end of July a government Source said Lord Ali having a pass was all in entirely within the rules and not unusual speaking to Sky News earlier on Sunday cabinet minister Pat mcfaden said I don't think it's unusual for people to have passes to attend political meetings if they need to do so I don't think he's got the pass now but he may have had one in the past Lord Ali was in obled by Tony Blair in 1998 he also worked as the party's Chief fundraiser for the general election having been hired by Sir Kier starmer in 2022 Sky News analysis of the Westminster accounts earlier this year found Lord Ali donated 00,000 to cir here for his labor leadership campaign in 2020 in response to the Sunday Times report Shadow paym General John Glenn said it is disappointing to see labor only attempting to act on their culture of cronyism after feeling the pressure in the media starmer's SAS is engulfing this new government and its time labor came clean on all the people they've parachuted into top civil service jobs and the donors they've returned favors to se the independence and integrity of the Civil Service is maintained Shadow security minister and Tory leadership candidate Tom teenhot said the Prime Minister and the chancellor spent years in opposition preaching about standards in public life now in government the moment the votes were counted their story has changed and we're seeing the same old labor the Prime Minister has serious questions to answer who approved the decision to give a labor donor a pass to Downing Street was the Prime Minister aware of this decision will he provide a list of all the meetings that the donor attended and the subjects discussed the British people expect ANS and the Prime Minister should provide them let me be clear all politicians have a duty to uphold the standards and behaviors expected of those who hold the highest offices of government those in power should never put their own self-interest and political games over the people they serve it is time to reset our relationship with the British people and rebuild the trust lost to this type of SAS and dishonesty which is rotting our politics to its core that demands leadership something cier seems to lack