Sir Keir Starmer urged the public to work from home in a Covid-era broadcast from a Labour donor’s £18 million penthouse.
The Christmas message was reportedly filmed in Lord Alli’s flat in December 2021, when Sir Keir was leader of the opposition.
It was broadcast five days after the Tory government announced new guidance aimed at limiting the spread of a new strain of Covid-19, which urged people to work from home where possible.
The Labour leader appeared to be speaking from his own home, with the shelves behind him lined with Christmas cards and a picture of his family.
However, the political blog Guido Fawkes reported on Wednesday that the footage was actually shot in Lord Alli’s multi-million-pound penthouse.
The room was identified from designer shelves behind Sir Keir that had previously appeared in a video from inside Lord Alli’s flat.
It threatens to cause a fresh headache for the Prime Minister just hours after he was forced to defend repeatedly using the flat owned by the Labour peer while campaigning to enter No 10.
The pre-recorded message was broadcast on BBC One at 7pm on Dec 13 2021. Under Covid guidance that came into force that day, people were advised to work from home where possible. It is unclear when the video was actually filmed.
The revelations are likely to raise questions about whether Sir Keir was following the spirit of the rules.
The Tories have demanded that Labour explain why the penthouse was used for filming, given Sir Keir appeared to be speaking from his own home, and whose Christmas cards were on display.
In a series of questions for the party, they also asked how long the flat was used for, and whether hospitality was provided for Sir Keir and his staff while they were there.
Labour sources did not deny that the video was shot at Lord Alli’s flat. But it is understood that figures close to Sir Keir would reject any suggestion it was in breach of the Covid guidance.
In the message, the Labour leader urged people to resist the temptation to break from the advice over the Christmas season and work from home where they can.
“Of course, I understand that sticking to the rules can be inconvenient, but stick to the rules we must,” he said.
“It would be easy to let the festivities we’ve all been looking forward to divert us from our national duty.
“Getting jabbed, wearing masks and working from home if we can, really will help prevent infections and help prevent the NHS being overwhelmed.”
The majority of remaining Covid restrictions in the UK were lifted in the summer of 2021, meaning people could freely visit each other’s homes again.
Plan B
But the Government enacted the “Plan B” system to contain the spread of the Omicron variant six months later, with people advised to work from home where possible.
The guidance stated: “From Friday, Dec 10, face coverings will become compulsory in most public indoor venues, such as cinemas, theatres and places of worship.
“There will be exemptions in venues where it is not practical to wear one, such as when you are eating, drinking or exercising. For that reason, face masks will not be required in hospitality settings.
“From Monday, Dec 13, those who can will be advised to work from home.”
The revelations are likely to spark further questions about Sir Keir’s judgment as he faces heightened scrutiny over the “freebies” row.
Lord Alli has donated thousands of pounds to the Labour leader to spend on suits and spectacles, as well as £5,000 worth of clothes and personal shopping to Lady Starmer.
There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by the Labour peer, but the row overshadowed much of the party’s annual conference in Liverpool, which ended on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister’s press secretary said that no Covid rules had been broken by the use of the flat for the broadcast.
Asked whether Sir Keir was “completely confident” that all the rules at the time had been obeyed, she replied: “Correct.”
It is understood that Sir Keir, then the leader of the opposition, had not made regular use of the flat as an office.
The Prime Minister, who fiercely guards his family’s privacy, has never used his own home for political broadcasts.
Many politicians, including Cabinet ministers, did use their houses to conduct TV interviews during the pandemic.