Rachel Reeves reportedly accepted free tickets to a Sabrina Carpenter concert last week, in a move which threatens to reignite the freebies row that rocked the government last year.
According to the The i Paper, the chancellor sat in a corporate box last weekend to watch the O2 arena show, for which some resale tickets cost almost £1,000, as the cabinet geared up to announce sweeping cuts to disability benefits.
There is no suggestion the chancellor broke any rules, as it is not against lobbying rules for ministers to accept free tickets if declared in the normal way.
But it comes after months of criticism levelled at the government over accepting freebies, with critics arguing the gifts were an insult to the public during an ongoing cost of living crisis.
Labour MP Rachael Maskell said reports of Ms Reeves accepting Sabrina Carpenter tickets are “deeply troubling”.
“I thought that this issue had been settled, and ministers would not be accepting free hospitality for personal benefit,” she told The i.
“So to hear of a repeat, should it have occurred, is deeply troubling, not least at a time when many disabled people are worried sick about having their lifeline of support reduced under the ‘Get Britain Working’ reforms.”
There are fears that as many as a million face having their benefits reduced as part of an overhaul of the welfare system, which the government argues is essential to improve incentives to find a job.
Last year, a number of cabinet ministers, including the prime minister, accepted tickets to the Taylor Swift Era’s tour, at a total value in excess of £23,000.
In October, after weeks of criticism for accepting multiple freebies, the prime minister attempted to draw a line under the escalating row by repaying £6,000 for hospitality and gifts he had received since entering Downing Street.
Sir Keir announced he would cover the cost of six Taylor Swift tickets, four to the races and a clothing rental agreement with a high-end designer favoured by his wife.
He also announced that the rules on declaring donations and gifts would be tightened up.
But the latest allegations raise questions over the government’s commitment to changing its approach to gifts.
A Treasury spokesman said: “All declarations will be made in the usual way.”
