Exclusive: Starmer’s opponents receive largest donations in parliament
Keir Starmer’s fiercest opponents have received the largest sums of cash donations since the General Election, CityAM analysis has shown, as moves to weaken the Labour leader’s dominance in Westminster attract financial backing.
The Prime Minister has faced intense criticism from all sides of the House of Commons in his first year and a half in office, amid a series of U-turns on key Labour policy and plans for economic growth unravelling.
Now CityAM can reveal that some of Starmer’s biggest adversaries on opposition benches and the left wings of the Labour Party have been given the largest political donations since mid-2024.
Those near the top of the ranking, which only counts donations where funding is offered for parliamentary work, include hard-left Labour backbenchers Clive Lewis and John McDonnell, who was the shadow chancellor under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership until 2020.
Both have been vocal critics of government plans on various economic and social issues, with Lewis even offering to give up his seat in the House of Commons to give Manchester mayor Andy Burnham a pathway towards challenging Starmer and becoming Prime Minister.
The donations ranking excludes declarations of freebies and gifts, overseas trips and work done outside of parliament, which may, for example, include fees for media appearances, legal duties and other secondary jobs.
It also does not count party donations tracked by the Electoral Commission.
Badenoch rakes it in
Analysis has shown that Kemi Badenoch has received the largest amount of political donations since the election.
Her largest donor was the manufacturer JCB, which handed the Tory leader a whopping £200,000 last year. But JCB has also given Reform UK some £200,000 in political donations.
Separate donations from the investor Charles Keymer and the historian Andrew Roberts have pushed her total receipts up to £250,000.
A Conservative Party spokesman said donations showed there was “great faith” in Badenoch’s plans for government.
Former Brexit secretary David Davis followed Badenoch after he was given a £250,000 donation by the travel agency Trailfinders “for campaigning activity related to Northern Ireland veterans”.
Others near the top of the rankings included Andrew Lewin, who made a series of financial declarations relating to his work as an MP standing as chair on the Trade and Business Commission, and Tim Farron, who has received donations for work on asylum policy and Christian faith.
McDonell is fifth on the list of donations, receiving a total of £117,737. The railway union RMT and the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) were the two donors handing him funding for his work as the chair of union-led parliamentary groups.
The veteran MP has frequently attacked the Prime Minister over issues ranging from the two-child benefit cap to the winter fuel allowance, with the government changing tune on both issues after pressure from the backbenches.
More recently, McDonnell said the Labour leadership’s move to block Burnham from standing in an upcoming by-election was “disgusting”.
Lewis meanwhile received hefty funding from climate campaigner Gideon Simeloff, Sandeep Maudgill, plus support from the progressive group Compass. Registered donations have mainly related to his work on a water bill that is set to be debated in parliament.
Some donations have been passed through his company Toussaint Ventures Ltd.
The vocal Labour MP has previously called for Starmer to resign and said the government’s approach to net zero was “cautious and timid”.
Starmer’s battle with Streeting
Other top donations recipients include Liberal Democrats deputy leader Daisy Cooper and health secretary Wes Streeting, who is seen as a political foe to Starmer given speculation around his Labour leadership ambitions.
Streeting hit out at No 10 officials quoted in newspapers attacking him, calling briefings in the press “self-defeating nonsense” and the culture at the top of government “toxic”.
Some donations have been offered to cover staffing costs while others are offered on personal conditions.
When categories beyond parliamentary donations are taken into account, Farage is shown to be the highest-earning MP, receiving nearly £1.4m since the general election. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the barrister Geoffrey Cox follow the Reform UK leader in gross payments declared.
A spokesperson for Andrew Lewin said: “Andrew has not received any payment from Best for Britain or the UK Trade and Business Commission.
“These declarations relate to his work as the Chair of the UK Trade and Business Commission and are classed as benefits in kind, which are required to be registered.
“Andrew has registered everything as per the rules and has not received any payment or fee for this work.”
Farron said: “I receive support from the Refugee Asylum Migration Project in the form of a part time policy advisor. The advisor helps me to work on issues relating to asylum and refugee issues, given my long term concern and interest in this area of policy.
“In addition, I receive support from Faith in Public in the form of three part time staff members. This support helps me to serve my constituents in Westminster and to do work on the intersection of the Christian faith and the public square, which is another area in which I have a very long term interest.”