Bridget Phillipson has admitted receiving £14,000 from Lord Alli, the Labour donor, which helped pay for events to mark her 40th birthday. The Education Secretary declared two donations from Lord Alli,

A Sunderland MP has defended the use of a £14,000 donation from a Labour peer amid the ‘freebies’ row which engulfed Labour as the party’s conference got under way in Liverpool.

Lord Alli, who is also Sir Keir Starmer's biggest personal donor, donated the five-figure sum to the Education Secretary to "host a number of events".

MP for Houghton and Sunderland South Bridget Phillipson said that use of money from Lord Alli to fund her 40th birthday was “in a work context”.

Bridget Phillipson squirmed today as she defended taking £14,000 from a millionaire Labour peer to host 'work events' - after it was revealed how he bankrolled her 40th birthday bash. Amid a fierce row over senior Labour figures enjoying freebies at the start of the party's conference in Liverpool,