WHISKEY tasting dinners, free BRITS tickets and £9,000 drinks fundraisers are among the donations and gifts disclosed by Warrington MPs as their financial interests are revealed.

MPs across the country are required to declare their financial interests within 28 days of the start of a new Parliament.

This is then published online under the ‘Register of Members’ Financial Interests’ and is accessible to the public.

And the financial interests of Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols and Warrington South MP Sarah Hall were revealed.

It was revealed that Ms Nichols received a donation from Diageo Great Britain, owners of some of the biggest worldwide alcohol brands, for a ‘whisky tasting and dinner’ valued at £320.28 in December last year.

She was also gifted BRIT Awards 2024 tickets, donated by the BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, worth the value of £1,500.

The MP’s third and final donation disclosed on the list was a trip to Finland between November 2 and 4 last year. This was donated by the Nuclear Industry Association and included flights, accommodation, meal and transports to the value of £839.68.

Ms Nichols declared the purpose of the visit was to ‘visit the Olkiluoto 3 Nuclear Power Plant, Onkalo Geological Disposal Facility and Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) as part of a Nuclear Energy APPG visit’.

Commenting on the donations she received, Charlotte Nichols said: “As a member of the Business and Trade Committee in the last Parliament, I was sometimes invited to events or dinners with industry bodies in order for them to showcase their work and to hear their views on growing UK trade.

“Diageo accounts for 10 per cent of UK food and beverage exports, and the British Phonographic Institute is the trade association for all UK recorded music, of which its export revenue is worth £4bn annually.

“This hospitality was declared in the appropriate way under Parliamentary rules to avoid any potential conflict of interest arising.”

Meanwhile Warrington South MP Sarah Hall also declared her side earnings, gifts and donations and supported donations during the General Election.

It was revealed that Ms Hall was gifted a sizable donation of £9,000 in drinks from the Budweiser Brewing Group for a Labour fundraising event which involved four people back on March 8.

On the same date, another donation was disclosed of catering costs of £1,200 distributed by Arden Strategies Limited for presumably the same fundraiser for ‘four individuals’.

The Warrington South MP also received a number of donations as support linked to being an MP which were received by the Labour party.

These included a £5,000 donation from Unite the Union, a £9,000 donation from USDAW (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers), £3,000 from GMB union and £2,000 from CWU (Communication Workers Union).

Lastly Ms Hall declared earnings of £776.92 for 38 hours of work in her role as office manager for member of parliament in July this year.

Commenting on the donations disclosed, she said: “I have committed to being open and transparent about my work as an MP this includes the reporting of donations that the local Warrington South Labour Party received for the election.

“The vast majority of donations received were from individuals from Warrington supporting my General Election campaign and Trade Unions representing the interests of working people here in Warrington South.

“Our community and its residents will always be my first and only priority.”