The Conservatives have called for an investigation into Keir Starmer's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, following allegations that he misled the Electoral Commission over donations to a Labour thinktank. Labour Together, which McSweeney ran while in opposition, was fined £14,250 in 2021 for failing to declare nearly £740,000 in donations. The Tories claim a 'false excuse' of administrative errors was used.
The party released a leaked email from Labour lawyer Gerald Shamash, who advised McSweeney to drop his claim that he was told he did not need to declare the donations. Shamash wrote that the amount of late-reported donations was £739,492 and there was 'no easy way to explain how Labour Together finds itself in this situation'. He suggested basing the case on administrative error.
It emerged that McSweeney's successor, Hannah O'Rourke, discovered almost three years of undeclared donations after his departure and filed late declarations. The emails threaten to reopen controversy around Labour Together, which supported Starmer's leadership. McSweeney left the thinktank in April 2020 to become a senior aide to Starmer.
Conservative Party chair Kevin Hollinrake said the leaked correspondence shows 'how authorities may have been misled over hundreds of thousands of pounds of donations used to install Starmer as Labour leader'. Downing Street declined to comment on McSweeney's time at Labour Together but expressed full confidence in him. The Electoral Commission stated it thoroughly investigated the matter in 2021 and was satisfied that failures occurred without reasonable excuse.
