Correspondence seen by The Telegraph reveals that Downing Street declined the club’s offer on Oct 17, three months after it was sent.
In the letter to the Prime Minister on July 18, David Allsop, the club’s chairman, invited Sir Keir to take up honorary membership, which is free of charge.
He noted the custom dated back more than 100 years to 1921, when Mr Lloyd George took up residence in Chequers, in a move that “cemented our ties” with the estate.
The reply in October came from one of the Prime Minister’s aides, rather than Sir Keir himself, and spelt the chairman’s name incorrectly.
It said the Labour leader was touched by the offer to “be part of this tradition” dating back “over a century”, but stated: “Unfortunately, he will be declining on this occasion”.
