Yesterday I asked what is the true market rental value of Lord Alli's apartment (Starmer claimed it was £20K for the time he used it).
Today we have the answer, the true value is over £100K.
As per Guido:
"When Starmer revealed he had “moved” into Alli’s £18 million Covent Garden penthouse for 45 nights this summer—leaning on his son as a convenient excuse—many were left scratching their heads at the astonishing bargain he managed to secure. According to his registered interests, Starmer valued the accommodation donation at £20,437.28, covering his stay from May 29 to July 13, 2024. Quite the deal for a sprawling 4,860 square-foot residence right in heart of Soho…
To put it into perspective, renting a mere 800-square-foot luxury apartment in Soho for the same duration could set you back over £31,000, at market prices. A massively larger £18 million property, with three en suite bedrooms, would be considerably more…
MPs are meant to declare the use of accommodation at market rates. A conservative 5% yield on Lord Alli’s place would typically fetch an annual rent of around £900,000—meaning Starmer’s six-week sojourn could be worth a staggering £110,966. Given that MPs are required to declare the market value of any donations, the figure of £20,000 for such an opulent central penthouse is a massive under-declaration…
Number 10 also continues to spin the narrative that Starmer didn’t need to declare his supposedly “one-off” Covid video filmed at Alli’s residence (it’s not a one off, as Guido has reported). Starmer claims it was worth less than £300 – therefore did not need to be declared. But it is impossible to find even a basic studio in Covent Garden for that price. A day’s rental for a recording studio in Soho can easily start at around £650, and that is without the technical equipment. There is no way using Lord Alli’s house as a tv studio for a BBC One broadcast has a market value of under £300…
Labour insiders say Alli’s penthouse study is armed to the hilt with full broadcast equipment akin to a top-end media studio. The parliamentary authorities are going to have to investigate…"
Well then!
