Jacob Rees-Mogg blasts Keir Starmer for ‘throwing son under the bus’ in freebies row

Jacob Rees-Mogg has accused Sir Keir Starmer of “throwing his son under the bus” over the Prime Minister’s explanation for accepting £20,000 worth of accommodation from a Labour donor.

Speaking on GB News, Rees-Mogg said: “He has thrown his son under the bus. We know the old sins of the father shall be visited on the son, but I never knew the sins of the son should be visited upon the father.”

The ex-Conservative MP added: “It seems very unfair to treat his son this way having always said he would never use his family.”

Rees-Mogg also questioned the timeline of Starmer’s explanation, stating: “The dates don’t match. Something is very wrong. He used a very expensive apartment well after GCSEs finished and he says it is all the fault of his son.”

The criticism comes after Sir Keir defended accepting £20,437 worth of accommodation from Labour peer Lord Waheed Alli between May and July.

The Prime Minister told the BBC that the donation was to provide a place where his 16-year-old son could study for his GCSEs “without being disturbed” by journalists outside their family home during the election campaign.

Sir Keir elaborated on his decision in a BBC interview, saying: “My boy – 16 – was in the middle of his GCSEs. I made him a promise, a promise that he would be able to get to his school, do his exams, without being disturbed.

“We have lots of journalists outside our house where we live and I’m not complaining about that, that’s fine. But if you’re a 16-year-old trying to do your GCSEs and it’s your one chance in life…”

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He added: “I promised him we would move somewhere, get out of the house and go somewhere where he could be peacefully studying. Somebody then offered me accommodation where we could do that. I took that up and it was the right thing to do.”

The freebie controversy extends beyond the accommodation issue. Sir Keir also received over £16,000 for work clothing and spectacles from Lord Alli, as well as donations for his wife.

He has since declared he will no longer accept clothing donations, alongside Deputy PM Angela Rayner and Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

The Prime Minister has also faced scrutiny over accepting hospitality from Arsenal football club, arguing he can no longer use his normal seats due to security requirements.

Sir Keir defended this, telling LBC: “The club said why don’t you be our guests in the director’s box… you can’t pay for a ticket in the director’s box.”