SIR Keir Starmer last night furiously denied he tried to con the public into thinking a penthouse borrowed from a millionaire pal was his family home.
The Prime Minister is under fire for filming a Covid video urging people to work from home in a luxury pad owned by his Labour donor pal Lord Alli.
In the background of the video, filmed three years ago, somebody has placed a pic of the Starmer family — making it look like his own home.
But Sir Keir yesterday claimed the latest freebie accusation against him was “farcial”, as he scrambled to counter allegations he “pulled the wool of people’s eyes”.
Grilled in New York over why he tried to create the impression the penthouse was his home, he said: “Anybody who thinks that I was pretending it was my own home — that I’ve got Union Jacks by my fireplace, or that I would invite you lot into my living room to have a look around — I mean, it’s pretty farcical.”
But the whole freebies saga has rocked the start of his fledgling premiership — and overshadows his trip to the United Nations — with more revelations of dodgy gifts mounting by the day.
The under-fire PM last night denied any rules had been broken — yet accepted it has sparked a voter backlash.
He said: “I understand why the public have questions about this. I think the best thing we can do is to explain the circumstances and be absolutely clear that nothing wrong has been done here.
“Everybody has complied with all of the rules.”
Despite indignant attempts to defuse the row, the storm is not going away last night.
Tory MP Kieran Mullan MP said: “This appears to be an attempt to pull the wool over the public into believing Keir Starmer was at home.
“He needs to explain why he put up family pictures if not to mislead people.”
Sir Keir has already tried to justify £20,000 worth of stays at the same Central London flat while his son revised for exams. He claimed his son needed to get away from the commotion of the family home in north London at the time of the election.
Sir Keir angrily refuted suggestions the megabucks Labour donor was influencing his government in a cash-for-access type scandal.
He said last night: “He’s a Labour Lord, so he wanted a Labour victory. That was his sole motivation.”
But the Tories last night ramped up the pressure on Sir Keir demanding answers over whether donations from Lord Alli were declared in the correct fashion.
They point out that just hours after being elected, the PM pledged to put “country first, party second”.
Ex-Minister John Glen has written to Sir Keir calling for him to be “open and accountable” following the recent controversies.
The shadow Paymaster General asks whether the PM has now declared the donations to senior civil servants or Sir Laurie Magnus who is the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests.
The Tories also demand to know whether the £18million penthouse — which was used for political filming — was declared with the Commons’ authorities.
Questions have also been raised by the Tories on who signed off on Lord Alli’s pass for Downing Street despite claims Number 10 are hiding behind security concerns.
Mr Glen added: “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
BRITAIN would have to build a wind turbine the size of the Eiffel Tower every day until 2030 to reach Labour’s clean energy target, a union boss says.
GMB leader Gary Smith hit out at the plan to stop using fossil fuels for electricity by the end of the decade, amid fears it could destroy a million jobs.
He told ITV: “2030 clean energy target isn’t going to be hit.”
Mr Smith says it would be more realistic to have a target of 2050 as part of the move to net zero.
He represents thousands of oil and gas workers hit by the decision to speed up the phasing out of North Sea oil and gas drilling.
He fears that jobs will be created abroad instead of at home.
By Ryan Sabey
THE Chancellor is being warned her tax crackdown on wealthy non-doms is falling apart and will fail to raise any extra cash.
Rachel Reeves is struggling to win backing from spending watchdogs, who fear it could end up costing the Treasury money.
Her plan could push the super-rich out of the UK, leaving a £1billion funding gap for schools and hospitals, it is suggested.
Curerntly, those who are registered as not domiciled pay no UK tax on any earnings from overseas. Ms Reeves is said to want to press ahead with closing the loophole but there may be changes before the Budget.
Critics believe she risks driving away investment from the UK.
Shadow Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: “Labour fail to understand the importance of globally competitive rates to our economy.”
By Ryan Sabey
SIR Keir Starmer will meet US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump for the first time tonight.
The PM, who said he wanted to get to know him personally, will chat with the Republican candidate at his Trump Tower skyscraper in New York.
But it could be an awkward meeting if the notoriously prickly former president confronts Sir Keir on disparaging comments made by top Labour MPs.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has described him as a “neo-Nazi-sympathizing sociopath”.
And this week Home Office minister Angela Eagle accused Mr Trump, 78, of helping to breed racism in Britain.
Ahead of the meeting Sir Keir, in town for the United Nations General Assembly, was hopeful of getting cosy with Don.
He insisted: “It’ll be really to establish a relationship between the two of us.
“I’m a great believer in personal relations on the international stage.
“I think it really matters you know who your counterpart is in any given country and know them personally, get to know them face to face.”
Sir Keir remained tight-lipped about whether he would press Mr Trump to keep up support for Ukraine should he beat Democratic candidate Kamala Harris on November 2.
He did, however, insist the UK-US relationship was “as strong as it’s ever been, in relation to the Middle East and Ukraine”.
No10 is also pushing for a meeting between the PM and Vice President Harris.
In his speech to the UN Sir Keir said Britain would be less bossy on the world stage.
He said: “We will change how the UK does things.
“Moving from the paternalism of the past. Towards partnership for the future. Listening a lot more — speaking a bit less.”
I’M A Celebrity stars will be allowed controversial Ozempic injections in camp.
The diabetes jab, also used for weight loss, will be given off camera to any celeb with a prescription on the show, hosted by Ant and Dec.
Contestants have found the eating challenges hard to swallow for 24 years — but they would be all but impossible for those with zero appetite from getting the Ozempic jab on the show.
Clashes between “hangry” stars desperate for their next meal could also become a thing of the past, to viewers’ dismay.
ITV medics are willing to administer the drug off-camera, and outside camp, to any celeb with a doctors’ note or prescription explaining they are already on Ozempic.
That is in keeping with ITV’s rules on medicines rather than being a new rule for the so-called wonder drug. All celebs taking part in the show must fully disclose their medical history.
A source explained: “The drug is already controversial after being exploited by stars for weight loss rather than diabetes, but it’s not for ITV to pass judgment.
“Any celeb on medication while in the jungle goes to ITV’s off-camera medical team as often as they need.
“It will be no different with Ozempic. So long as celebs have a proper doctors’ note, and the drug has been prescribed, they will be able to get their regular injection as normal.
“It won’t just be lying around the camp. Ozempic pens have to be stored in the fridge so they will have to be safely stored under lock and key off-site.
“The same applies for other drugs that can produce weight-loss results including Mounjaro and Wegovy.
“This year’s line-up hasn’t been finalised but bosses are almost certain someone will be on Ozempic.”
If any campmates are taking the drug they may still need lower dose jabs during the series.
It is not recommended to stop taking Ozempic overnight as it can cause blood-sugar fluctuations or severe gastrointestinal symptoms.
Instead users should taper off their dosage over a few weeks.
Those in talks for this year include singer Tulisa Contostavlos and foul-mouthed influencer GK Barry.
Boxer Tommy Fury, Coronation Street’s Alan Halsall and Strictly’s Oti Mabuse are also set to star.
There is no suggestion they, or hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, take Ozempic.
Originally created to combat Type 2 diabetes, the drug has become hugely popular with celebs.
By Lizzie Parry, Head of Health
WEIGHT-loss jabs such as Ozempic are a class of drugs called GLP-1 that help people slim by mimicking fullness hormones.
Their popularity has exploded because they work so well.
Studies suggest they may also slash the risk of serious heart diseases and cancers.
The NHS mainly prescribes them to people with type 2 diabetes, and the obese. Private clinics sell them to almost anyone who wants to lose weight.
The scale of their use is unknown although hundreds of thousands of Britons are likely to be using them.
They must be taken regularly to work and are usually self-injected once a day or once a week.
Side-effects include sickness, diarrhoea and stomach pains.
Actress Rebel Wilson, Tesla tycoon Elon Musk, and chat-show queen Oprah Winfrey have said they take it for weight loss.
But there can be serious side- effects. Actor Stephen Fry stopped taking the jabs as he was left vomiting four times a day.
This month model Lottie Moss, 26, urged followers not to take Ozempic after she suffered a seizure from a high dose.
Politicians are keen for the public to decide by asking their doctor if they should take the drug, and not just be swayed by social media ads.
Bushtucker Trials in the last series saw winner Sam Thompson almost vomit and Reform MP Nigel Farage try to scoff a “four-penis pizza”.
Series 24 is expected to start in mid November.
An ITV source said: “As part of the well-established and robust casting process each celebrity has a full medical assessment to make sure they are fit to take part.”
A 12-YEAR-OLD boy and his grandad were both found dead in a tent during a countryside camping trip, an inquest heard.
Kaicy Brown, 12, and granddad David Brown, 66, died in a suspected accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.
Their deaths were possibly caused by a cooking stove, an inquest heard.
Specialists are to establish the levels of carbon monoxide in his blood as part of an investigation pending a full inquest.
Kaicy was found unresponsive in the tent by his uncle who was staying in a neighbouring tent the following morning.
He and his brother had travelled 200 miles from Berkshire to the campsite in Powys, Wales, for the family weekend stay before tragedy struck.
Senior coroner Graeme Hughes told the Pontypridd hearing a toxicology test would look for carbon monoxide levels in Kaicy’s blood.
He told family members: “My deepest condolences to all of you for the loss of both Kaicy and David in such tragic circumstances.”
The family, of Earley, Berkshire, were camping overnight on Saturday September 14.
Emergency services were called but they could not be saved.
Pontypridd Coroner’s Court also heard an investigation was being carried out into the death of Kaicy’s grandfather David who lived in Wokingham, Berkshire.
The inquest in Pontypridd was adjourned to a later date.
A fundraising page has been set up to raise money for Kaicy’s mother Jessica who lost both her son and her father in the tragedy.
They are aiming to raise money towards a memorial, funeral costs and legal fees to “relieve the financial burden of this tragic accident”.
It said: “On 15th September the unimaginable happened to her son Kaicy, 12 and her father.
“They passed away from carbon monoxide poisoning on a camping trip.
“The money raised will go towards funeral costs, a memorial and legal fees as Jess wants to bring her boy home, as there is disputes within the family about where he will be laid to rest.
“We don’t want her to go through anymore headache at this sad time.
“Any donations would be greatly appreciated to help relieve the financial burden of this tragic accident, also to help many families in need.”
PACKED with nudity, swearing and sex scenes, Jilly Cooper’s Rivals may have started out as a racy novel — but I can confirm it has been reborn as an even steamier TV show.
Set in the Eighties, it unashamedly reflects the hedonism of the time — when making love, and money, were seen as the peak of ambition for the era’s jet set.
One of the sauciest moments of the cheeky eight-parter, which centres on the ruthless world of independent TV in 1986, features Emily Atack — better known as Charlotte in The Inbetweeners — playing naked tennis as saucy Sarah Stratton.
She’s married to the Deputy Prime Minister Paul Stratton, but is also having a good knockabout with central character, Tory MP Rupert Campbell-Black, played by Alex Hassell.
Though he’s naked too, when visitors turn up at his mansion, he doesn’t cover up like Sarah.
Instead, he stands there proudly holding his racket and demands to know: “Who the f* are you and why are you here?”
Just as in the original bonkbuster book, the tangled web of infighting, backstabbing and bedhopping is spun around dishy Rupert, who lives in the appropriately titled fictional Cotswolds county of Rutshire.
Legions of women want to seduce him, including three female characters Maud, Caitlin and Lizzie, who are all heard lusting after him.
Maud says: “The only thing that persuaded Caitlin to leave all her friends in London was the thought of living opposite Rupert Campbell-Black.”
Caitlin confirms: “I want him to ravish me. I’m off to boarding school, I want first crack at him.”
Lizzie sighs: “I’m one of the few women around here who hasn’t been ravished by Rupert.”
But he is not the only figure stripping off in the cheeky series, which drops next month on Disney+ with an all-star cast.
Later in the show, we see another pin-up, Aidan Turner, showing off his buff torso, just as he did in period drama Poldark, the hit TV series that made him a star.
At 41, the Irish actor isn’t looking quite as lean or smooth as when he posed for the famous scything shot on the BBC show almost a decade ago, but he is guaranteed to get quite a few viewers reaching for their fans.
Particularly in another scene where Aidan, sporting a thick moustache, is seen starkers in the bath with smoke rising into the air as he seductively draws on a cigarette.
He plays TV host Declan O’Hara, who interviews the deputy PM and brings up his relationship with wife Sarah.
Starkly, O’Hara tells him: “She says you have the girth and stamina to compete with any championship racehorse.”
They are just a few standout moments in a show which, in its first episode alone, features eight naked men, six boob shots and seven bum flashes.
And, as such a storyline requires, 28 expletives litter the script.
Rivals certainly hits the ground running too.
Just seconds in, we’re confronted with Rupert and a female journalist called Beattie joining the mile-high club.
He has the woman, played by Annabel Scholey, pinned against the wall of a plane toilet, her red high heels jammed against a towel rail and her head banging on the mirror.
She has to use one hand to keep the door shut while a member of cabin crew bangs on it loudly, fully aware of what’s going on inside.
Even as Rupert finishes one sex session, he’s returning to his seat on the plane, winking at other women who look keen to eat him alive.
All this to the sound of Robert Palmer’s anthem, Addicted To Love.
The soundtrack is just one element of a show that revels in its Eighties timeframe as giant perms compete with even bigger shoulder pads, not to mention some seriously bling watches and sports cars.
The story is fuelled by the competition between Rupert and ambitious TV station controller Lord Tony Baddingham, played by David Tennant, who is also Declan’s boss.
The trio have a complicated relationship, and it’s not immediately apparent why such a cesspit of hatred is bubbling between them.
Things are just as fraught among their various friends and neighbours, who are later all seen bonking — separately — in a long montage to the sound of Depeche Mode’s Just Can’t Get Enough.
The filthy-rich residents of Rutshire — including Danny Dyer as tech tycoon Freddie Jones — love nothing more than a wild party, but rarely show affection to their other halves. In one scene, Maud sums up the rural toffs best, saying they are “all horses and dogs and houses and cars and who’s got the longest f*ing driveway”.
She adds: “The men are all desperate to ride anything as long as they’re not married to it and the wives, Jesus, they haven’t had an orgasm since pony club camp.”
The bedhopping and skullduggery is used by Lord Baddingham to get his own back on his arch rival Rupert, exposing his fling with Sarah at a soiree.
The two men square up, but Rupert reveals that far from having his political career ruined by the affair with the Deputy PM’s wife, he has been promoted to Minister for Sport.
Rupert walks off, telling the squire: “You’ll have to try harder if you want to beat me, Lord Baddingham.”
As the door closes behind him, Lord Baddingham puffs on his cigar and says: “Game on”.
IN the Eighties, the British bonkbuster market was dominated by one woman.
Jilly Cooper was queen of the racy novel, selling more than 11million books in the UK alone.
And no stories were raunchier than the 11 she wrote as part of the Rutshire Chronicles from 1986 to 2023.
Rivals is the second in the collection.
The first, Riders, was made into a TV series in 1993 seven years after she wrote it.
Then, in 1997, her fourth in the series, The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous, was also adapted for telly.
But neither was considered to be a quality drama.
Now, at 87, Dame Jilly is thrilled to see another of her Eighties works rebooted on our screens.
Disney has sunk millions of pounds into the production, with some seriously sexy stars in the line-up.
Die-hard fans of the books will be relieved to know there’s just as much sauce, even if it comes with a modern twist.
The man who adapted Rivals for TV, former EastEnders boss Dominic Treadwell-Collins, said: “We’ve been equal opportunities in our nudity – there’s a willy for every pair of t*ts.”
RUPERT
“SEX god” Campbell-Black is an ex-Olympic showjumper turned Tory MP played by Alex Hassell.
Enjoys rolling in the hay with his mistress Sarah.
LORD TONY
HIS arch rival is the highly ambitious Lord Tony Baddingham, boss of Corinium Television, who is played by former Doctor Who star David Tennant.
SARAH
RUPERT’S lover is Sarah Stratton, played by Emily Atack.
Steamy scenes include naked tennis – and she happens to be married to the Deputy Prime Minister
PAUL
RUFUS JONES takes the role of Deputy PM Paul Stratton, who first met his wife Sarah when he was already married and they started an affair.
MAUD
FORMER actress and socialite Maud O’Hara, played by Victoria Smurfit, is the “fickle wife” of Declan.
You might recall her as Orla in Ballykissangel.
DECLAN
TV chat show host Declan O’Hara, played by Aidan Turner, comes to hate his new boss Lord Baddingham.
Declan is also father to Taggie.
FREDDIE
DANNY DYER features as tech tycoon Freddie Jones, a working-class bloke done good who has more than a whiff of Lord Sugar about him.
TAGGIE
CAPTURING the heart of Rupert rather than being lined up for a casual bonk is Bella Maclean as Taggie.
The lothario admits she has him “a little stuck”.
FINANCIAL expert Dave Ramsey provided hard-hitting advice to a couple in Oklahoma City grappling with their precarious monetary situation.
At 70 years old and with no retirement savings, Janice reached out to Ramsey for help, and what he had to say was not easy to digest.
“I have no retirement; my husband and I neither one have a retirement,” she admitted via a phone call to Ramsey.
Their financial landscape was bleak, with only $25,000 in cash and a $27,000 mortgage on a home valued at $250,000.
To complicate matters further, they also owed $1,000 on a roadster.
Janice described her husband’s proposal to pay off the car and apply the freed-up cash towards their mortgage.
However, she expressed deep concerns about their living situation, saying, “I don’t think I could even live in an apartment for what we would be paying a month on our home.”
The couple’s total income was $4,000 a month, comprising $2,000 in Social Security and another $2,000 from Janice’s physically demanding job cleaning homes.
Yet, as Ramsey pointed out, “We don’t know how much longer you can do that at 70 years old.”
After evaluating their situation, Ramsey delivered the harsh reality check that many viewers might find difficult to accept.
“I’m sorry, but the roadster is gone,” he said.
Selling their paid-off vehicle, which he estimated to be worth around $10,000, would provide the couple with funds to tackle their debt.
“You have $25,000 in a roadster to pull all this off,” he emphasized, underlining the urgency of their predicament.
Ramsey advised them to live as if they were “completely bankrupt,” stressing the importance of cutting unnecessary expenses to regain control.
He said, “You can’t eat out. You’re broke. Eating out is causing you to clean toilets.”
For Janice, who had mentioned that dining out was one of their few luxuries, this was a bitter pill to swallow.
There are several different places where you can put the money you save for retirement. Each has different tax advantages, but not all of them are available to everyone.
401(k) – an employer-sponsored retirement account. Contributions are made pre-tax and many employers will match a certain percentage of your contributions. Taxes are paid when the funds are withdrawn in retirement.
Roth IRA – an individual retirement account. Contributions are made post-tax but withdrawals in retirement are not taxed.
TSP (thrift savings plan) – a retirement savings and investment plan for Federal employees and members of the uniformed services. They work similarly to 401(k)s but may have more limited investment options.
Pension – an employee benefit that commits the employer to make payments to the employee in retirement. Pensions are becoming increasingly rare.
The conversation took a crucial turn when Ramsey suggested a more drastic option: selling their home.
“If you sell it today, you’re debt-free,” he said.
He proposed that they could use the proceeds to purchase a more affordable condo for $100,000, which would alleviate their financial strain and provide them with a cushion of $100,000 to invest in their future.
While this solution might seem practical from a financial standpoint, Ramsey acknowledged the emotional toll it would take.
“Because with no debt at all you can make it,” he told Janice. “It’s not going to be pretty but you can make it.”
In other retirement news, a 56-year-old shared their situation, revealing their savings and plans while expressing anxiety over hearing concerns about potential “budget shocks” heading toward retirement.
Plus, YouTuber and financial expert Jacob Duke discussed a case wherein a couple in their 50s has $1.5 million in their savings, and he revealed what time period is essential to keep in mind before and after retirement
At about 8:10 Thursday morning (September 26), the North Carolina State Highway Patrol responded to a fatal collision in Catawba County on Boggs Road near Hunsucker Drive. The two-vehicle accident…
More on Two Vehicle Crash Thursday Claims Life of 4-Year-Old; Others Hospitalized available on WHKY.
Associated Press EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty is undergoing further testing because of a lower-body injury he sustained in a preseason game at the Vegas Golden Knights. Doughty hurt his left leg Wednesday when he slammed into the boards while engaged with Golden Knights forward Tanner Pearson in the
The post Kings defenseman Drew Doughty undergoing testing for lower-body injury appeared first on KYMA.
