Monday 9 May 2022 10:14 PM Keir Starmer is accused of piling pressure on police as he vows to will quit if ... trends now
Keir Starmer was accused of putting ‘deeply inappropriate’ pressure on Beergate police last night.
In a high-stakes gamble, the Labour leader said he would ‘do the right thing and step down’ if Durham Constabulary fined him over his lockdown beer with aides.
But his opponents said this had placed detectives in the difficult position of knowing their decisions could decapitate the official opposition and leave Labour looking for new leadership.
Sir Keir’s deputy, Angela Rayner, also said she would quit if she was fined over her role in the ‘Beergate’ event in Durham on April 30 last year when all indoor socialising was banned.
After a day of crisis meetings with advisers, Sir Keir gave a brief statement yesterday in which he repeatedly stated that ‘no laws were broken’ and claimed that the allegations against him were politically motivated.
However, the former director of public prosecutions confirmed he would quit if sanctioned over the event, saying: ‘If the police decide to issue me with a fixed penalty notice I would of course do the right thing and step down.’
The Labour leader has said he would ‘do the right thing and step down’ if Durham Constabulary fined him over his lockdown beer with aides
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer pictured as he made a statement at Labour Party headquarters in London today
Starmer arriving to issue a statement at Labour's headquarters in London on Monday
The Labour leader’s Shadow Cabinet immediately took to social media last night to proclaim him as a man of ‘honesty’ and ‘integrity’.
And Sir Keir appeared to give himself a loophole for avoiding resignation by fudging questions over whether he would still quit if Durham police found he did breach lockdown laws but stuck to its policy of not issuing Covid fines retrospectively.
He also dodged questions over why the launch of the police probe was not enough on its own to trigger his resignation when he had explicitly called for Boris Johnson to quit at the start of the Scotland Yard inquiry into Partygate.
A Government source said ministers were concerned that Sir Keir’s intervention could place ‘undue pressure’ on Durham Constabulary to clear Sir Keir, or at least refrain from fining him.
Digital minister Chris Philp hinted at the unease last night saying it was ‘deeply inappropriate that Sir Keir appeared to be attempting to pressure the police into clearing him’.
Barrister Francis Hoar also criticised the move, saying that ‘to undermine the presumption of innocence and put the police under pressure is wrong. A former DPP should know that’.
Sir Keir’s move echoes an intervention by Tony Blair, who is reported to have warned the police he would have to resign if he was interviewed under caution over the ‘cash for honours’ scandal, causing the officers to back off.
One ally of Sir Keir last night acknowledged that the move ‘puts some pressure on Durham police’ but insisted it only balanced out pressure from the Conservatives to investigate the matter.
As potential leadership hopefuls were warned they may need to be ready to launch their campaigns in weeks:
A source at the Durham event disputed Sir Keir’s claim that work continued after his late night beer and curry and said some of those attending were drunk; Evidence emerged showing that the room in which he and others shared a beer and a curry was so small that social distancing was impossible; A poll found that more than half of adults believe he probably or definitely has broken lockdown laws; It emerged that the Labour leader’s office had invited 40 people to a Christmas party in breach of regulations, only to cancel at the last moment; The Labour Left twisted the knife, with John McDonnell saying
