Who pays for the clothing of world leaders and their spouses?

Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Lady Victoria have accepted donations of clothing to “look their best” to represent the UK, David Lammy has said.

Asked about these donations, the foreign secretary suggested that some countries have large budgets funded by taxpayers for the clothing of leaders.

Even after reports Sir Keir it may have breached the rules of parliament for failing to disclose the clothes bought for his wife by Labor donor Lord Waheed Alli.

Lammy told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “American presidents and first ladies have huge budgets, paid for by taxpayers, to look their best on behalf of the American people.”

In fact, the first lady of the US does not have access to a certain clothing budget – and many have shared their frustration with the cost of staying fashionable in the White House.

In some countries, taxpayers contribute to the living expenses of their leaders – and this can include clothing.

US presidents have a spending budget of about $50,000 (£38,000), which can be used to buy clothes and other items, on top of an annual salary of $400,000.

But the spouse of the US president – historically, always the first lady – does not receive an annual salary or budget for fixed expenses, although she pays for the staff and the office.

That’s despite the US first lady’s fashion choices attracting a lot of scrutiny and attention.

Notable examples include Melania Trump’s Zara jacket with the words “I REALLY DON’T WORRY, DON’T I?”, when she visited an immigration detention center, and the bright red Alexander McQueen dress worn by Michelle Obama when she met with former Chinese president Hu Jintao. .

Some first ladies have said that, in general, they were expected to pay for their own clothes.

Mrs Bush, wife of George W Bush, wrote in her 2010 memoir that she was “surprised at the sheer number of designer clothes I was expected to buy… to meet the fashion expectations of a first lady”.

“After our first year in the White House, our accountant said to George, ‘It’s too expensive to be president,’ and he was referring to my assets,” Mrs. Bush wrote.

Michelle Obama’s press secretary, Joanna Rosholm, told CNBC in 2014: “Mrs. Obama pays for her own clothes.”

First ladies of the US may also accept clothing as gifts, usually on behalf of the government.

Some fashion designers welcome the announcement of their dresses worn by the first lady.

With prices for designer clothes easily running into the tens of thousands, donations were the only way the less wealthy occupants of the White House could afford to wear star designers.

“For official events of public or historical importance, such as a state visit, the first lady’s clothes may be given by the designer as a gift and accepted on behalf of the US government,” Mrs. Rosholm said.

The Smithsonian Museum lists the dress that current first lady Jill Biden wore to her husband’s 2021 inauguration as a donation by designer Alexandria O’Neil “in honor of first lady Jill Biden” — an indication that the designer borrowed the dress.

In contrast, it seems that her predecessor Melania Trump, whose husband’s wealth made her the richest president in history, donated her first dress, designed by Hervé Pierre, herself. That’s probably because he paid for it.

In the UK, Sarah Brown, wife of prime minister Gordon Brown, spoke of the difficulty of accepting gifts – including clothes – while in Downing Street.

“As soon as I find out,” he wrote in his letter. After Black Door, in 2011, “there is no shortage of designers and sellers who will give you free clothes.

“However, there are many rules governing what MPs (and their spouses) can do with freebies – not to mention the ethics of using your position to grab freebies.

He explained the solution: “No10’s advisors and I find a way that works for everyone. Any clothes I want to keep, I can buy them.

“Any free clothes or jewelry, I can effectively ‘rent’ for about 10 percent of the retail price, and return.”

Spouses of world leaders elsewhere often seem to rely on money to dictate their style.

France’s Brigitte Macron does not have a government-sponsored clothing budget and is believed to be loaned clothes by Parisian fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton.

According to the 2019 book Madame La Présidente, her office keeps a record of which clothes were given to her and which were hers.

But her husband, President Emmanuel Macron, has been criticized for his sloppy spending. This year, it was revealed that his office had reserved a business class seat on a flight from Paris to Brazil to transport just his two suits, at a cost of almost €4,000 (£3,380).

In Germany, ministers were criticized for spending 450,000 euros on hairdressers, make-up artists and photographers in the first six months of 2023, although no specific clothing fund is visible.

When asked about Lammy’s speech, the spokesperson for the Foreign Office refused to comment further.

Downing Street said of Sir Keir’s announcement of the clothing donations: “We have asked the authorities for advice on coming to office.

“We believe we were complying with the rules, however, following the interrogation this month, we have announced other things.”