Sir Keir Starmer breached the MPs’ code of conduct by failing to register eight interests on time – including four tickets to watch a game at Vicarage Road in Watford.
An inquiry into the Labour leader was opened in June by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Kathryn Stone, relating to claims about late declaration of earnings, gifts, and hospitality.
Speaking at the time, Sir Keir said he was “absolutely confident” he had not broken the MPs’ code of conduct.
Read more: Sir Keir Starmer probe: Watford v Arsenal tickets among gifts under investigation
However, the commissioner has found Sir Keir failed to register eight interests – five more than alleged in the original complaint.
But she noted the “breaches were minor and/or inadvertent, and that there was no deliberate attempt to mislead” – so concluded there was no need to refer the case to the Committee on Standards.
Instead, the inquiry has been concluded with a rectification procedure which entails publishing the details and an apology on the Commons website.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Keir Starmer takes his responsibilities to the register very seriously and has apologised to the commissioner for this inadvertent error.
“He has assured the commissioner that his office processes have been reviewed to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
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In the original complaint made to the commissioner, it was alleged between March 6, 2022 and May 13 2022, Sir Keir failed on three occasions to register income and hospitality that he had accepted, within the 28-day deadline set by the House.
The watchdog reviewed Starmer's register entry for the previous 12 months and noted four additional late entries.
Breaches include four tickets he received for Watford vs Arsenal, worth a total of £1,416, on March 6 this year. The gift was registered on May 6 – 33 days late.
Other late declerations included two tickets worth £720 to watch Arsenal at Crystal Palace, tickets from Just Eat to two events, an £18,450 advance from publisher HarperCollins, and royalties for two legal books published before the lawyer became an MP.
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During the investigation, Sir Keir also informed Ms Stone he was in the process of selling a plot of land for a sum that exceeded the £100,000 threshold for registration set by the House.
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