...By Jack Sylva for TDPel Media.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has come under scrutiny for accepting free football tickets from Essex-based construction firm Mulalley & Co Limited, which was ordered to pay out £10.8m over defective cladding in a landmark case following the Grenfell Tower disaster.
Starmer declared a donation of hospitality match tickets worth £1,070 for Arsenal’s match against West Ham last weekend.
Mulalley was told to pay damages to Martlet Homes, part of the Hyde Housing Group, over the installation of cladding at four towers in Portsmouth.
The judgement was hailed by the group as a “landmark ruling” following the Grenfell tragedy, in which defective cladding was blamed for a devastating fire that killed 72 people.
Dame Caroline Dineage, the Tory MP for Gosport, called Starmer’s acceptance of tickets from a firm that put residents at risk “very concerning”.
The Labour leader has previously called for a “national cladding taskforce” to remove “deadly” cladding and pursue those responsible for its use.
In their strategic report for the 2021/22 financial year, Mulalley & Co said that the UK government had attempted to absolve itself of responsibility for the cladding scandal.
Starmer, who supports Arsenal, is known to frequently accept free football tickets.
His spokesperson has not yet responded to a request for comment.
Commentary:
The cladding scandal, and in particular the Grenfell Tower disaster, remains a highly sensitive and emotive issue in the UK.
In accepting hospitality from a firm involved in a case relating to cladding, Starmer risks being seen as insensitive to the concerns of residents and campaigners seeking justice for those affected by the Grenfell fire.
The fact that he is a well-known football fan and frequently accepts free tickets may also play into perceptions that he is too comfortable with corporate interests.
Starmer’s critics are likely to seize upon this news as evidence of his detachment from the experiences of ordinary people.
