\u201cFor someone so pious, this appears to be serious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simon countered: \u201cYou know perfectly well that Keir Starmer was not in the general election thinking, \u2018I will declare all the payments to my own clothing but not on my wife\u2019s parents because I need to cover that up\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course he didn\u2019t think that. He declared all the payments about his own clothing, it just didn\u2019t occur to him that he didn\u2019t declare his wife\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jacob hit back: \u201cNo. He\u2019s the former DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions). The DPP knows that ignorance of the law is no excuse.<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are criminals up and down the country who will say, \u2018I\u2019m sorry officer, I didn\u2019t know that was against the law\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat doesn\u2019t stop them going to prison, does it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Simon argued that the rules are \u201carcane\u201d and it\u2019s \u201cnot surprising\u201d that it caught Starmer out.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre we saying Keir Starmer should be getting up every morning and running through a checklist of what he should and shouldn\u2019t be declaring?\u201d, he asked.<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously he\u2019s got people doing this for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters in Rome, Italy, Starmer insisted \u201crules are being followed\u201d.<\/p>\n

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also defended the Prime Minister, stating that \u201cdonations are always declared in the proper way\u201d.<\/p>\n

Sir Keir said it was \u201cvery important\u201d to him that rules are followed and that \u201cwe have transparency\u201d.<\/p>\n