I believe in honour, integrity and the principle that those who make the laws should follow them
– KEIR STARMER YESTERDAY (WHAT ABOUT YOU, PRIME MINISTER?)
KEIR Starmer yesterday vowed to quit if fined over Beergate, in contrast to Boris Johnson’s refusal to go for law-breaking.
The Labour leader’s comments pile pressure on the shameless PM who has refused to go despite being hit with a fixed penalty notice for attending a lockdown party.
Starmer said: “If the police decide to issue me with a fixed penalty notice, I would of course do the right thing and step down.
“I believe in honour, integrity and the principle that those who make the laws must follow them and I believe politicians who undermine that principle, undermine trust in politics, undermine our democracy and undermine Britain.”
His deputy Angela Rayner also announced she would quit if fined over the event in Durham last April when up to 15 staff ate curry and drank beer while campaigning. The high-stakes move piles pressure on Johnson over his law-breaking.
Hannah Brady, of the Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, said: “This is the right decision by Keir Starmer and in contrast to Boris Johnson, shows integrity, decency and respect to the bereaved.”
Starmer insisted he had broken no laws and accused the Tories of launching a smear campaign against him after they suffered a brutal battering north and south of the border in last week’s local elections. The former director of public prosecutions said: “I know what we did and I’ve obviously looked at the regulations. We were working. We ate. Five days before an election when you’ve got a team with you, that is part of the working day. “As a matter of principle for me, it’s very important we have honour, integrity and accountability in politics. “It’s about who I am, the integrity that I have and the integrity I want to see.
“The Tories want to drag everyone down, to run this argument that everyone is the same because the Prime Minister won’t do the right thing, even though he’s broken the law. I think it’s very important to make clear that not all politicians are the same.”
Starmer was yesterday backed by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
She said: “There is a massive operation under way on the part of the Conservatives to divert attention from Boris Johnson, and not just Boris Johnson’s single
If the police decide to fine me I would of course do the right thing and step down KEIR STARMER ANSWERS CALLS FOR HIM TO QUIT OVER BEERGATE ROW
He hasn’t been straight with Parliament. He should quit. I don’t think he will KEIR STARMER ON BORIS JOHNSON’S REPEATED PARTYGATE SCANDAL LIES
breaking of the rules but what appears to have been a serial breaching of the rules and, of course, Boris Johnson’s inability to be straight with the House of Commons.”
Starmer indicated he would only step down if he was fined by police.
It gives him a loophole in the event officers conclude the gathering was a minor breach but don’t issue an FPN.
Starmer and his aides spent hours locked in discussions about whether he would pledge to quit. The Durham force contacted his office yesterday.
Starmer insisted it was “quite clear” the Tories were “putting pressure” on police to look again at the gathering.
But he added that it was “laughable” for No10 insiders to suggest he was now doing the same after Tory MPs called for him to quit. He added: “If they don’t understand even now what integrity means, then I’m sure they’re further down the slippery slope than any of us even realised.”
At the time of the Durham event, indoor gatherings were banned but with exemptions for work purposes.
Starmer insisted he went back to work after stopping for a quick bite to eat – which was within the rules. He added: “I was working throughout. I had a busy schedule the next day.”
He claimed the operational notice leaked at the weekend showed it was “absolutely clear” he had been working and added: “As for who was ordering the curry, that wasn’t my responsibility. I’m working, food arrives.
“Any politician that has been on the road knows that somebody in the team has responsibility for making sure there’s a meal.” He claimed a failure to reveal Rayner was present had been a “genuine mistake”.
But he insisted he did not regret calling for Johnson to quit before he had been fined. He said: “He had flatly denied at the despatch box that anything at all happened.
“He hasn’t been straight with Parliament.
“He should quit. I don’t think he will. I don’t think he’s got any integrity.”
Starmer admitted his own family – like millions of others – had to make “agonising decisions” over lockdown.
He said: “It was very difficult because my wife’s mum died suddenly.
“When the lockdown came my wife had to sit on the pavement outside her dad’s house because she wouldn’t break the rules.”
He admitted he was frustrated Beergate is overshadowing election results and the cost of living crisis.
Durham police and crime commissioner Joy Allen said: “I am confident Durham Constabulary will carry out the investigation meticulously and with complete impartiality, without fear or favour.”