Gifts to politicians are all about buying influence | Letters

Gifts to politicians are all about buying influence | Letters

Keir Starmer touting the transparency of donations or gifts is not enough, says Hannah Walker, and Rory E MacFlynn marvels at the prime minister’s clothing bill

Despite the protestations of Keir Starmer and others, the most important issue regarding donations to politicians or parties is not whether such gifts are declared, it is the influence that the gifts have on them (Peer gave Keir Starmer more clothes worth £16,000, declared as money for private office, 27 September). This may not immediately be obvious – it may be months or years before it pays off.

Declaring potential conflicts of interest does not eradicate them as conflicts of interest. For example, studies done on the efficacy of psychiatric medications and many influential medical papers list the benefits the authors received; it is not unusual to see whole pages devoted to their financial connections to pharmaceutical firms. That must cast some doubt on the validity of the studies.

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