Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Lord Alli loaned £62,000 to Baroness Uddin in expenses case: Report

The expenses scandal resurfaced as Lord Alli gained attention for donating gifts, including clothes and glasses, to Keir Starmer and his wife, Victoria.

The loan by Lord Alli helped Baroness Uddin to return to the House of Lords. (Photo: Getty Images)
Lord Alli. (Photo: Getty Images)

LORD Alli, a Labour peer, lent £62,000 to Baroness Uddin over a decade ago after she was ordered to repay £125,000 in wrongly claimed parliamentary expenses, as reported by The Times.

The expenses scandal, initially revealed by The Sunday Times in 2012, resurfaced as Lord Alli gained attention for donating gifts, including clothes and glasses, to Keir Starmer and his wife, Victoria.


Baroness Uddin, appointed to the House of Lords by Tony Blair in 1998, was found to have falsely declared her primary residence in Maidstone while living in Tower Hamlets.

In 2010, the Lords' sub-committee suspended her for 18 months, demanding full repayment of the expenses. Lord Alli's loan allowed her to cover part of the repayment and return to the chamber.

In October 2010, Lord Alli raised concerns in the House of Lords that the only three peers referred to the committee for conduct, including Uddin, were of Asian descent. He urged Lord Strathclyde, then-leader of the Lords, to investigate potential racial bias.

At the time, Keir Starmer, as director of public prosecutions, announced that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) would not pursue criminal charges against Uddin, citing insufficient evidence.

Starmer clarified that the decision was based on the Lords' clerk's ruling, which allowed peers to nominate a primary home visited at least once a month. He emphasised that all available evidence, including utility records, was reviewed before the CPS concluded there was no basis for prosecution.

Starmer reportedly had no contact with Labour MPs or peers during the expenses investigation and met Alli only after his election in 2015.

Currently, Uddin sits as a crossbench peer, with recent contributions focusing on social policy and human rights.

The Times also confirmed that Lord Alli is being investigated by the House of Lords standards watchdog for allegedly failing to register interests in a separate matter.

More For You

Anant Ambani Walks 140 Km in Spiritual Tribute on 30th Birthday

Anant’s padyatra is a reflection of the larger cultural fabric of India

Getty

Anant Ambani embarks on a 140-kilometer spiritual journey on foot to celebrate 30th birthday

Anant Ambani, a director of Reliance Industries Limited and a prominent figure in Indian industry, has chosen a unique and spiritual way to mark his 30th birthday. As part of his celebrations, he is currently undertaking a padyatra—a traditional pilgrimage on foot—from Jamnagar to Dwarka, covering a distance of approximately 140 kilometres. The journey reflects his devotion to Lord Dwarkadhish, the presiding deity of the Dwarkadhish Temple in the city of Dwarka.

Anant began his journey from his family’s residence in Moti Khavdi, Jamnagar, and has been progressing steadily for the past five days. Walking an estimated 10-12 kilometres each night, he travels under the protection of Z+ security and local police, ensuring his safety during this significant journey. The padyatra is expected to take between seven to nine days in total, with plans to conclude at the Dwarkadhish Temple in time for his birthday on April 10.

Keep ReadingShow less
New TB action plan proposed as cases surge

Government urged experts to come forward to help draw up a new five-year TB action plan. (Photo: Getty Images)

New TB action plan proposed as cases surge

BRITAIN on Wednesday (2) urged health experts and sufferers of tuberculosis (TB) to come forward to help draw up a new five-year action plan as it deals with record rises in the disease.

In 2023, England recorded its largest annual increase (11 per cent) in cases since enhanced surveillance began in 2000.

Keep ReadingShow less
Akshata hails Akshaya Patra’s after-school meals model during Watford visit

Akshata hails Akshaya Patra’s after-school meals model during Watford visit

AKSHATA MURTY visited a children’s charity and met pupils benefiting from its after-school meals programme, a spokesperson for the wife of former prime minister Rishi Sunak, said last Wednesday (26).

Murty, a philanthropist, visited the Akshaya Patra Foundation’s Watford kitchen, in northwest London, which was opened in 2020. It is the first international kitchen of the charity – founded in Bengaluru in 2000 – which serves 2.2 million children across India every school day.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tory MP Bob Blackman seeks Britain’s formal apology for Jallianwala massacre

Bob Blackman

Tory MP Bob Blackman seeks Britain’s formal apology for Jallianwala massacre

DAYS before the 106th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, a Conservative MP urged the British government to acknowledge its failings and formally apologise to the people of India.

Bob Blackman, the MP for Harrow East, spoke in the Commons last Thursday (27), recalling the deadly massacre in Amritsar on April 13, 1919, when people had gathered to celebrate the Baisakhi festival, and called for an apology.

Keep ReadingShow less