Questions are being asked as Labour MP Jack Abbott has declared receiving hospitality and tickets from Manchester City Football Club to attend the FA Community Shield at Wembley Stadium, shortly after being elected as MP for Ipswich.
Why it matters: The declaration comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Labour politicians accepting gifts and hospitality from wealthy donors and organisations, as well as the influence of foreign states in UK politics.
The big picture: Manchester City is majority owned by Sheikh Mansour, the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates.
This raises questions about why an Ipswich MP would accept hospitality from a club with seemingly no local connection, or rather, why a UAE-owned football club with no local connection would offer hospitality to the MP for Ipswich.
Key details:
Abbott received two tickets with hospitality for the FA Community Shield match between Manchester City and Manchester United on 10 August 2024.
The gift was valued at £880 and declared on the register of MPs' interests on 5 September.
Manchester City's Etihad Stadium is over 200 miles from Abbott's Ipswich constituency.
Between the lines: The declaration follows weeks of controversy over Labour politicians, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, accepting gifts and hospitality from donors.
Sir Keir recently repaid over £6,000 worth of gifts and hospitality after facing public backlash.
Other Labour ministers are reviewing whether to pay back gifts they've received.
What they're saying: We approached Jack's team, but he has declined to comment.
The bottom line: While MPs can accept and declare such gifts, questions may, and should, be raised about the appropriateness of an Ipswich MP accepting hospitality from a football club owned by senior UAE officials with no apparent local connection.
