London | Embattled British Prime Minister Keir Starmer took to the airwaves on Wednesday in an attempt to hose down the political fires, raging on multiple fronts, that are threatening to torch his popularity and hobble his premiership.

Sir Keir told interviewers including Sky and the BBC that he had accepted free clothes because he was too busy to shop during the election campaign; free soccer tickets in corporate boxes because it was too dangerous for a party leader to sit in the stands; and free accommodation because his teenage son needed a quiet place to study for his exams.