PM privilege or PL pandering?

In recent weeks, the Prime Minister has come under fire after it was revealed that he has received around £13,000 worth of gifted football tickets so far this year. At first glance, this may seem opportunistic and even somewhat unethical, however after a closer look, it may in fact be sponsorship companies and the sporting organisations themselves who gain the most from these so-called ‘gifts’.

This subject has come into the spotlight after the PM was pictured in the Director’s Box at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in September. This caused outcry among the public, and questions around the Prime Minister’s acquisition of these tickets were raised. Starmer later revealed that he is a season ticket holder at Arsenal, but due to security reasons the club had offered to accommodate him in one of their boxes to ensure a safer experience for him and his son.

Tickets for this box cannot be purchased, so do not need to be declared according to ministerial code, however, this is not the case for any other ‘freebie’ tickets the PM received

Tickets for this box cannot be purchased, so do not need to be declared according to ministerial code, however, this is not the case for any other ‘freebie’ tickets the PM received. This means that any tickets gifted for away games or unrelated events (such as Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ for which the PM was gifted £4,000 worth of tickets) must be declared.

Starmer adhered to this rule, declaring all these tickets within 28 days of attendance, meaning his acceptance still complies with ministerial code, which states “no Minister should accept gifts… which…place him or her under an obligation”.

As a result of this story, the number of free sports tickets acquired by other government officials has also been questioned by the public. Significant British sporting events such as the British Grand Prix and the Grand National are among other events for which thousands of pounds worth of tickets have been given out, both by the organisers themselves and by sponsorship companies.

So far this year, the Premier League, FA, and EFL have given out free tickets to a value of just under £50,000 to MPs from a variety of parties. A spokesperson for the EFL claims that the gifting of these tickets provides opportunity for engagement with MPs for the discussion of issues relating to the sport itself and local communities.

Response to the thousands of pounds worth of tickets given away remains mixed in terms of the public

This therefore raises the question as to whether there are ulterior motives behind these gifts. This is a particularly interesting stance, at a time of uncertainty in relation to the passing of the Football Governance Bill, which aims to establish an independent football regulator in England. The Premier League has warned against this proposition, claiming that it could lead to consequences, particularly considering the significant pressure coming from UEFA in relation to a particular clause in the bill (which may explain the league’s generosity in relation to politicians’ tickets).

Response to the thousands of pounds worth of tickets given away remains mixed in terms of the public, but are politicians benefiting from their own privilege, or is this really a way for sporting organisations to disguise their methods of gaining political backing to aid their own projects?