Sunday 15 May 2022 01:55 PM Ed Miliband insists Keir Starmer 'did not break Covid rules' over Beergate trends now

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Ed Miliband today dimissed a 'ridiculous' suggestion he could return as Labour leader if Sir Keir Starmer is forced to resign over Beergate.

Sir Keir has made a major gamble on his political future by promising to quit as head of the party, should he be fined by police for breaking Covid rules over his boozy curry in Durham last year.

The Labour leader's dramatic decision has turbocharged speculation about who could replace him in the event he has to resign.

But Mr Miliband, who led Labour between 2010 and 2015, ruled out a return to the party's top role.

He also insisted Sir Keir 'did not break the rules' when he shared beers and a takeaway with colleagues in April 2021.

Labour have repeatedly insisted the Friday night gathering at Durham Miners Hall was a 'work event' in the run-up to council elections and the Hartlepool by-election. 

Sir Keir has also maintained he and his team only stopped for a 'break' to eat before resuming their duties.

At the time of the event, England was in the 'Step 2' rules that banned people from gathering indoors with people not from your own household.

However, there was an exemption for 'work purposes'.