Starmer and Rayner given their Beergate questionnaires
Durham police have given Sir Keir Starmer and angela rayner their questionnaires as part of an inquiry into Beergate, Labour said last night.
The party leader and his deputy were sent the forms as officers investigate whether the gathering in april last year broke lockdown rules.
Both Sir Keir and mrs rayner have denied wrongdoing, but have pledged to stand down if they are fined.
The scandal broke after the Labour leader was photographed swigging a beer in an MP’s office last year following a day of campaigning in the local elections. Police initially refused to investigate, but later announced a uturn after a string of revelations by the Daily mail about what had really happened at Durham miners hall.
Despite denials stretching back three months, this newspaper discovered mrs rayner had also been present, along with Durham MP mary Foy.
It has also emerged that the group of
‘Failed to release any evidence’
around 20 people shared a £200 curry at a time when buffet-style meals were banned. Labour has so far failed to release any evidence that Sir Keir and others continued to work after the curry gathering at 10pm on a Friday.
A source at the meeting has claimed no work was done afterwards, and that some of those present were ‘getting p ***** ’ – a claim denied by mrs Foy.
It later emerged that Sir Keir took time out to pose for a photograph and discuss a forthcoming football match during the evening. The revelations prompted a complaint from Tory MP
Richard holden, who wrote to police demanding an inquiry.
At the time of the Durham gathering, non-essential retail and outdoor venues including pub gardens were open, but social distancing rules – which included a ban on indoor mixing between households – remained in place.
Separate non-binding guidance on election campaigning stated: ‘You should not meet with other campaigners indoors.’ Labour has argued that the beer and curry were consumed either side of work events, meaning that the gathering was within the rules. It is understood that Durham Police will send out questionnaires to 20 Labour Party workers and campaigners asking them to explain if they had a reasonable excuse for attending. Sir Keir has previously said he ‘put everything on the line’ by promising to quit if he receives a fixed penalty notice.
He repeatedly called for Boris Johnson to stand down over a fine for a Partygate lockdown breach in June 2020. The Prime minister jokingly nicknamed the Labour leader ‘Sir Beer Korma’ last week in reference to the police probe into his trip to Durham.