Sir Keir Starmer paid to keep a necklace he received from Donald Trump during the US president’s state visit, it has emerged, but did not fork out for a football shirt gifted by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger earlier this year.
Details released by the Cabinet Office on Thursday show the prime minister received the personalised necklace, along with cufflinks and a golf club from the president, while his wife was given a pair of cowboy boots.
Number 10 could not immediately say on Friday how much Sir Keir paid for the gift, but the necklace was the only one he chose to keep, with the others being held by Downing Street.
Asked on Friday how much the PM had paid for the jewellery, a spokesman for the prime minister said: “As with all gifts, we publish them transparently, and if they were held by the department or purchased by the minister.”
No details were available about how it had been personalised, and when asked why the prime minister felt that he wanted to pay for this gift, the spokesman pointed to the rules as set out in the ministerial code around gifts and hospitality.
But it has also emerged that Sir Keir declined to purchase a replica trophy, football shirt and football gifted by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger in April, despite being a keen supporter of the north London club.
Ministers must declare any gift they receive worth more than £140 and either hand it to their department, or pay the difference between the value and the £140 threshold to keep it.
Sir Keir, like other prime ministers, has generally declined to purchase gifts from world leaders, including previous items from Mr Trump.
The PM and Lady Starmer hosted Mr Trump and his wife, Melania, at Chequers, the prime minister’s country retreat, in September following the president’s stay with the King and Queen at Windsor Castle.
They presented the president with a ministerial red box and gave the first lady a silk scarf.
In July, during the president’s visit to Scotland, Sir Keir received a bottle of special edition whisky, while during a trip to Washington in February he was given a framed football shirt by Mr Trump. Both items were retained by Downing Street.
In September Sir Keir was given a rugby league shirt, leather boots and beer from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, clothes from publisher Conde Nast and a wooden carving from Palestinian president Mahmood Abbas, none of which he paid to keep.
Details of ministers gifts and hospitality are released regularly by the government.
In July, UEFA and the FA offered the PM and a guest a ticket including food and drinks to the final of the Women’s Euros.
Earlier this year the PM purchased a hamper that he had received from Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, but he did not buy the bottle of rum he received from the prime minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, or the decorative marble plate from Indian PM Narandra Modi.
