MPs declared nearly £400,000 in hospitality in first half of 2026

British Members of Parliament have declared nearly £400,000 worth of complimentary tickets and hospitality between January and July 2026, a figure that marks a significant increase from the estimated £300,000 recorded annually in 2025. The disclosures, which include high-profile events such as the Brit Awards, the Chelsea Flower Show, and a Harry Styles concert, have drawn scrutiny from opposition figures and watchdogs who argue that the scale of acceptance suggests a lack of institutional memory following the 2024 freebies controversy.

The data reveals that senior Labour ministers, including Deputy Leader Lucy Powell, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting, and Deputy Prime Minister Louise Haigh, accepted gifts during the period. Powell, who is also the Education Secretary, accepted £858 tickets to a Harry Styles concert at Wembley from PRS for Music. Streeting accepted £1,839 worth of tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show from Lloyds Banking Group, while Haigh accepted a £1,314 ticket to the Ivor Novello Awards. Notably, several of these ministers were backbenchers at the time of acceptance before being elevated to cabinet positions under Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

Further disclosures indicate that Chief Whip Anneliese Midgley accepted £3,432 worth of hospitality for two at the Brit Awards, as well as tickets to the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander accepted £1,480 for tickets to the men’s Wimbledon singles final, and Attorney General Ellie Reeves accepted a £1,314 ticket to the Ivors. Prime Minister Burnham declared approximately £6,000 in hospitality, including £3,800 for Brit Awards tickets in Manchester, a move he justified partly by his former role as Greater Manchester Mayor.

The rise in declared values is partly attributed to stricter transparency rules introduced by the government, which now require monthly declarations with specific values on both the MPs’ register and the ministerial register. Previously, some ministers could declare gifts on the quarterly ministerial register without specifying a value if they argued the item was connected to their government duties. The updated ministerial code emphasises that while ministers have a responsibility to represent the government, they are personally responsible for judging whether accepting hospitality might compromise their independence.

Critics, including Sue Hawley of Spotlight on Corruption and Duncan Hames of Transparency International UK, argue that the increase reflects a lobbying tactic by big business and foreign governments rather than genuine parliamentary business. Hawley suggested that elected officials should reconsider accepting tickets to events unrelated to their constituency work, while Hames noted that permissibility under the rules does not necessarily equate to appropriateness. Both organisations urged MPs to consider what companies might hope to gain from such invitations.

The acceptance of free hospitality is not limited to the governing party. Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch accepted £1,360 for Wimbledon tickets from the All England Club, while Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride accepted £1,839 for Chelsea Flower Show hospitality from Lloyds Banking Group. Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith also accepted tickets worth £919.50 for the Chelsea Flower Show and £1,800 for the Formula One Grand Prix at Silverstone.

In response to the disclosures, a Labour party spokesperson stated that all declarations were made in line with the strengthened ministerial code and parliamentary rules. A Conservative source echoed this sentiment, asserting that transparency matters and that the same standards of scrutiny should be applied consistently to politicians of all parties. PRS for Music defended its hospitality as a public affairs initiative designed to allow policymakers to engage directly with creators and understand the industry’s challenges.