Chancellor Rachel Reeves is currently under investigation by Parliament’s standards commissioner for failing to declare complimentary theatre tickets within the required deadline.
The Chancellor reportedly attended the National Theatre over the Christmas period but did not record the gift on the MPs’ official register of interests within the stipulated timeframe.
According to sources, Reeves did disclose the event in her ministerial register, which operates separately from the MPs’ register. Parliamentary conduct rules mandate that MPs declare and update all relevant financial interests within 28 days.
A spokesperson for Reeves stated: “The Chancellor’s interests are fully declared and up to date.”
Records show Reeves received four tickets to the National Theatre, worth an estimated £276, on 27 December 2024. The donation was registered three months later, on 27 March 2025.
Penalties for breaches of these standards can vary, ranging from requiring an apology from the MP to possible suspension from Parliament, depending on the severity of the case.
Earlier this year, the Chancellor defended her decision to accept complimentary tickets to a Sabrina Carpenter concert at London’s O2 arena.
Speaking with the BBC, Reeves explained she had attended the event with a family member, noting: “I do now have security which means it’s not as easy as it would have been in the past to just sit in a concert.”
She later told ITV it could be a “balancing act in my job to try and be a good parent” while also meeting security obligations.
Reeves commented: “I felt I was doing the right thing, but I do understand perceptions. I recognise the feeling here. I have no intention of doing that again.”
Following debate over the acceptance of gifts last summer, the government enacted new guidelines. These do not prohibit ministers from receiving donations but do require them to consider maintaining public trust.
In 2022, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer—then opposition leader—was found in breach of standards after failing to register financial interests, including football match tickets.
Starmer apologised, attributing the failure to “an administrative error.”