Starmer takes stand

LABOUR leader Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to resign if police fine him for breaching lockdown rules by drinking beer and eating curry with activists.

His critics argue that as a lawyer and former chief prosecutor for England and Wales, Starmer already knows he will not be fined and it’s just a ploy on his part to win favour with the public.

He, however, insists he is doing the “right thing” – something he says prime minister Boris Johnson failed to do after his fine over the ‘partygate’ scandal.

“If the police decide to issue me with a fixed penalty notice, I would, of course, do the right thing and step down,” Starmer told a news conference, but insisted: “I’m absolutely clear that no laws were broken.”

The gathering in question took place in Durham, northeast England, in April last year, with a video later emerging of Starmer drinking beer and eating a takeaway meal inside a campaign office with party colleagues.

Starmer has repeatedly insisted it did not contravene rules against indoor gatherings since he was working.

Police last Friday said they were reopening a probe into whether it breached lockdown rules.

The Labour leader said the difference between him and Johnson was that “he’s been found to be in breach of the law”.

“I think (there are) over 50 fines now in relation to Downing Street. And the prime minister has not stepped down,” Starmer said.

“He and others in his party want the public to believe that we’re all the same, that we will all act in that way. I’m here to make clear that is not the case.”

Durham police looked into the event at the time and concluded that “no offence had been established”, but reopened the investigation “following the receipt of significant new information over recent days”.

The prime minister and his chancellor, Rishi Sunak, both received fines for attending a gathering in Johnson’s office to celebrate his birthday in 2020.

The Met police are still investigating other potential breaches of the law by Johnson, who had previously denied breaking the rules that he set.

When it emerged that Johnson was under police investigation, Starmer called it a “mark of shame” and demanded the prime minister resign.

“Even now, he is hiding behind a police investigation into criminality in his home and his office,” Starmer told MPs in January.

For now, Starmer and the country will wait to see the findings of the police investigation, and if he does stick to his word and step down if he is fined.