Keir Starmer spent £30k of taxpayers' cash on Downing Street flat – including £1.6k on shower screen

Christopher Hope
Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:00:03 +0000

Sir Keir Starmer splashed out tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money kitting out his Downing Street flat with household items including a £1,400 bed, a £1,395 "TV unit" and a £1,630 shower screen, GB News can disclose.

Officials acting for Sir Keir and Lady Starmer also spent £4,440 on three sofas, as well as £990 on six kitchen chairs and £1,207.50 on two dining tables in the months after the 2024 General Election when they moved into the spacious flat above No11.

The list comes from a breakdown of how officials spent the £30,000 a year Sir Keir is entitled to spend as part of a contribution towards maintaining and furnishing the four-bedroom grace and favour flat in the heart of Westminster.

However, it will leave the Prime Minister exposed to criticism, given he has spent taxpayers' cash generously on household items at a time when millions of families are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.

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The disclosure of the spending at the flat above No11 is also noteworthy, as it is the same flat previously occupied by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie.

In 2021, as Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir was critical of the then-Prime Minister over the expensive renovation of the same flat after "wallpapergate" reports revealed that Mr Johnson had spent heavily, including ordering expensive wallpaper with the help of a donor.

Other items bought for the Prime Minister's pad include three beds, one worth £1,400, a second bed worth £561.67 and a third bed worth £482.50, as well as an armchair costing £750 and a "TV unit" which cost £1,395 excluding the screen.

Two Ottoman blanket boxes – costing £363.33 and £249.17 – were also billed to the taxpayer.

Other items included two dressing tables – one worth £107.50 and a second worth £290.33 – as well as a £140.83 "console table".

Added to the bill under "refurbishment" were "painting works" worth £9,164, "storage throughout" costing £2,803, a "shower screen" which cost taxpayers £1,630.26 and blinds worth £721.94.

No10 refused to say if Sir Keir and Lady Starmer were consulted on some of the items purchased, but a source suggested the Prime Minister and his wife may have been.

"It’s not unusual for the PM’s family to be consulted on certain elements of the refurbishment but wouldn’t have the details," an insider told GB News.

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The list of items bought with taxpayers' money was released by No10 following a request under Freedom of Information legislation.

The Prime Minister's total refurbishment spend hit £14,319.20, with £15,442.47 being spent furnishing the flat.

The flat had previously been left empty for much of 2024 by then-Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.

Sir Keir's plush pad renovations totalled £29,761.67, just below the £30,000 allowance limit in the 2024/25 financial year.

A Downing Street spokesman told GB News: “The flat was empty when the PM entered office, so the Cabinet Office furnished it as per long-standing guidance across successive administrations.

“The refurbishment came under the allocated budget, and none of the items belong to the Prime Minister.

"They will remain the property of the Government for future use.”

Sources insist the refurbishment was carried out "on a modest basis" and any items bought will be "permanently retained by Government".

"This has been available across successive Governments, dating back to pre-2020," they added.

Insiders also stressed the "Government is legally required to, in consultation with Historic England, maintain the complex to the high standards appropriate to its Grade 1 and 2 listed statuses".

However, Sir Keir's refurbishment spending comes just weeks after the Prime Minister described the cost of living crisis as "my first priority".

He added: “My answer is clear. Whatever challenges lie ahead, this government will always support working people.