From Wimbledon to Billie Eilish gigs – MPs given £100k worth of free tickets this summer

A load of MPs including Keir Starmer, Nadhim Zahawi and Matt Hancock, enjoyed over £110k worth of hospitality tickets for free this summer.

As the cost of living crisis deepens, politicians were sat in prime spots at Billie Eilish gigs, Wimbledon fixtures and Ascot races- all at no cost to themselves.

MPs have to declare their financial interests, partly to make sure they aren’t being lobbied by companies who provide them with freebies.

A total of 115 different packages were listed on the register of members’ financial interests, just for the months of July and June. This value of these freebies amounted to £113,376 exactly.

Thirteen MPs were given at least one free ticket to Wimbledon, with Labour leader Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves both in attendance.

Absent chancellor Nadhim Zahawi was given four Billie Eilish tickets by Universal Music along three VIP tickets to Adele from Sony Music. They have a combined value of a whopping £1,782.

Starmer, Hancock and Conservative MP Craig Whittaker were also provided with free Adele tickets.

Whittaker’s £1,794 ticket was provided to him by the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC). They’re a lobbying group for the gambling industry who have previously come under fire from anti-gambling campaigners.

BGC also gave Whittaker and four other MPs Ed Sheeran tickets along with other tickets to cricket matches and Wimbledon.

Of the 82 MPs who received free hospitality tickets, 56 were Conservatives while 23 were Labour.

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