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Asked if Lord Alli had received anything from her in exchange for his donations, Rayner said: “I promised nothing and gave him nothing in return.”<\/p>\n
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “Not only has Rayner been living the high life with a free holiday paid for by a donor it appears she has breached the rules by failing to be transparent with her declaration. Rayner must come clean immediately.”<\/p>\n
He added that while Labour were “living a life of luxury they\u2019re making ten million pensioners choose between heating and eating”, by scrapping winter fuel payments for older people not on certain benefits.<\/p>\n
The relationship between Labour and Lord Alli has come under scrutiny, after it emerged in August he had been given a temporary Downing Street pass, despite having no official government role.<\/p>\n
Asked who signed off the pass for Lord Alli, Rayner said she did not know “but it certainly wasn\u2019t because of any donations that he\u2019d given to me”.<\/p>\n
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has also defended donations she has received from Lord Alli. <\/p>\n
She told BBC Radio 4\u2019s Broadcasting House donations totalling \u00a314,000 funded two events held in her capacity as shadow education secretary at the time, despite one being billed to celebrate her 40th birthday. <\/p>\n
The invitation said: “You are cordially invited to the 40th birthday party of Bridget Phillipson, Shadow Secretary of State for Education.”<\/p>\n
Phillipson said the event was “ahead of my 40th birthday” and an opportunity to bring together journalists, people in the education sector, trade unionists and MPs for a “professional event that took place in Westminster”. <\/p>\n
She said the second event was a reception for journalists “again in my role”. <\/p>\n
Phillipson added that the donations were declared in line with the rules.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria are also among those who have received thousands of pounds worth of gifts, including clothing, from Lord Alli. <\/p>\n
Following criticism, a Downing Street source said on Friday Sir Keir, Rayner and Chancellor Rachel Reeves would not accept any further donations for clothing.<\/p>\n
However, the row risks overshadowing the party’s annual conference in Liverpool, which began on Sunday. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Reports of rifts<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Sir Keir has also faced questions over whether there are tensions within No 10 between his chief of staff Sue Gray and senior officials.<\/p>\n
Earlier this week, the BBC revealed Ms Gray was paid more than the PM, with reports of a fractious relationships at the heart of government. <\/p>\n
Rayner rejected reports of rifts in Downing Street as a “caricature”. <\/p>\n
Asked if Ms Gray would still be in post by Christmas, she said: “I think so, absolutely. Sue Gray has been doing an incredible job.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Labour conference opened on Sunday with a speech from Rayner, who drew on her personal background as a single teenage mother to set out what she wanted to do in government.<\/p>\n
Rayner told the audience: “It was the foundation of a decent home, secure work and a strong community that nurtured me,” as she reiterated her commitment to new legislation on workers’ rights.<\/p>\n
The deputy PM struck a familiar note of caution about the economic picture, as she compared balancing her department\u2019s budget with the tough financial choices she\u2019d had to personally make in the past.<\/p>\n
On housing, she promised clamp down on mouldy homes, extending it to cover the private rented sector as well as social housing; and repeated pledges on building more homes and speeding up planning in urban areas.<\/p>\n
And she also peppered the speech with attacks on the Tories, saying the party had left Labour to “clean up the mess”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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