Gavin Grey: UK & Europe correspondent on far right heading for election victory in Germany & UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer accepts tens of thousands of pounds worth of free gifts

The far right could be on the brink of it's first election victory in Germany. Brandenburg, close to Berlin, has been governed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) ever since German reunification. But two million voters are heading to the polls today for a tightly fought regional election that Alternativ für Deutschland (AfD) stands a chance of winning.

Plus, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has accepted tens of thousands of British pounds in gifts, hospitality and tickets to events since becoming Labour leader. This includes nearly £66,000 over the last year for accommodation, clothes and "multiple pairs of glasses".

UK & Europe correspondent Gavin Grey tells Ryan Bridge the PM has now said his top team won't accept any more clothing.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Devin Gray, are you can your correspondent with us is
with us this morning? Another success for the far right
in Germany? How are we looking in that state election?

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Real sighth of relief for the German leader, the Chancellor,
all Our Scholtz, because according to exit polls they came
out just in the last forty five minutes or so,
it looks like the Chancellor's party has held off a
very very strong campaign by the Alternative for Germany, the
far right party, the AfD. It looks like the Chancellor's

(00:30):
Social Democrats have scored thirty one percent and the Alternative
for Germany thirty percent. I have to say this would
have been a loss in the Chancellor all of Schultz's
own backyard just outside Berlin, and if it lost this
election then I think that possibly would have really dented
his future, possibly beyond any attempt to get it back,

(00:51):
and could have seen him have to step down. So
a lot of people waiting. I know these are only
exit polls, but they tend to be pretty accurate in German,
and it looks like the march of the AfD, which
has done so well with recent election successes, has been
held off by this result, which we're expecting to be
formalized in the next few hours.

Speaker 1 (01:12):
To the UK and Sakis Starmer. We were covering this
last week, all the freebies from the donors, you know,
the sixty six thousand pounds over the last year for
accommodation and clothes and even those pricey glasses. He's trying
to put a line under this.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
Yeah, he has been. And today is the opening of
the Labor Party conference, so the Party of Government Secure.
Starmer's party had an annual gathering where they decide what
the policies they're going to try and do and talk
through over the next year or so. And you know,
in this honeymoon period, normally it's a big triumphant thing.
But I'm afraid the news this week has been really

(01:48):
bad for the Prime Minister. We drip drip drip about
gossip and scandal within Downing Street. And he's only been,
of course, in powers is early July, so we're now
getting a sense of perhaps where things are going. They
are definitely trying to draw a line under all the freebies.
But now the Deputy Prime Minister has been accused of

(02:09):
acting improperly by accepting a stay in a New York
compartment owned by a donor to her political party. The
Deputy Prime Minister says she's done nothing wrong, broken no
parliamentary rules. But again it is this drip drip of
information coming through and indeed outlandish claims really of hypocrisy

(02:29):
because the Labor Party have been accusing other parties of
accepting freebies and perhaps allowing it to sway their policy
decisions over the past few years, when now, of course
they are able to have a go back at Labor
and say you are no different. So the Prime Minister
now saying he won't accept any free clothes from anyone,

(02:50):
but all those free tickets to Taylor Swift Conference, the
Arsenal football Club, they I think will continue.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
Goodness everyone likes and it doesn't matter what party from.
Everybody likes a nice coat, don't they. Gavin and Gray
are UK correspondent with us. Thank you very much for
your time this morning. For more from News Talk sed B,
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