- Shadow Chancellor spent a week at Richard Parker’s house in Cornwall last summer
Rachel Reeves was last night at the center of a cronyism row after receiving donations and a free holiday from a businessman later selected as a Labor candidate.
The shadow chancellor accepted a total of £10,000 from Richard Parker in the year before launching his surprise bid to represent his party in a crucial mayoral election.
She told parliamentary authorities the money, which followed a £2,000 donation ahead of the 2019 general election, was intended to support her mandate. Ms Reeves enjoyed a week’s stay at Mr Parker’s second home in Cornwall last summer, just months after he was chosen as Labor’s candidate for West Midlands mayor.
She declared in the register of members’ financial interests that the freebie at the end of July was worth £1,400.
While there, she posted a photo of St George’s Cove in Padstow, the town now best known for Rick Stein’s seafood restaurants, with the caption: “Cornwall morning sunshine”.
Rachel Reeves (pictured) was last night at the center of a cronyism row after receiving donations and a free holiday from a businessman later selected as a Labor candidate.
The shadow chancellor accepted a total of £10,000 from Richard Parker (pictured, during a town hall debate with West Midlands Mayor Andy Street on April 15) the year before launching his surprise bid to represent his party in a crucial mayoral election.
Last night Ms Reeves, who pledged to “eliminate cronyism” and accused the Tories of being “riddled with conflicts of interest”, was under pressure to say whether she had a role in selection by Mr. Parker. He was largely unknown in politics when he was chosen over a Birmingham city councilor last April.
Gary Sambrook, Conservative MP for Birmingham Northfield, said: “These revelations raise questions about how Richard Parker became the Labor candidate for the West Mids.
“The shadow chancellor promised to clean up politics and crack down on cronyism, but here she is accepting multiple donations and free holidays from one of Labour’s own candidates.
“Parker and Reeves should be honest about this arrangement.”
Labor declined to say why Mr Parker made the donations to Ms Reeves, but said in a statement: “Richard Parker is a successful businessman with a proven track record of delivering results for the West Midlands, bringing more of £1 billion of investment in the region. Only a vote for Richard on Thursday can end the Tory chaos and give the West Midlands a fresh start.
Mr Parker, 60, has been accused by his electoral rivals of “cynically” claiming to live in the area he wants to represent in next week’s election.
The latest poll suggests Mr Parker narrowly leads Conservative incumbent Andy Street (pictured, during the April 15 debate) in Thursday’s mayoral election.
Gary Sambrook (pictured), Conservative MP for Birmingham Northfield, said: ‘These revelations raise questions about how Richard Parker became the Labor candidate for the West Mids in the first place.
Although he worked in Birmingham for a long time, for the council and then for consultancy giant PwC, he only recently started renting a flat in the city, but declared it as his home address on application forms . His main property is the family home he has owned since 2005, located in Worcestershire and outside the boundaries of the West Midlands region he hopes to represent.
The latest poll suggests Mr Parker narrowly leads Conservative incumbent Andy Street in Thursday’s mayoral election.
Redfield & Wilton puts him at 43 percent and Mr. Street at 37 percent, with the conservative narrowing the gap significantly in recent weeks.
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