Starmer: Police have not been in touch

SIR KEIR STARMER today said police have not contacted him about any alleged breach of lockdown rules at a Labour Party gathering.

The Labour leader has faced increasing pressure to explain an event where he was filmed drinking a bottle of beer in a room with others just after 10pm on April 30 last year. He said he stopped for a takeaway with his team before resuming work at the Durham constituency office of local MP Mary Foy in the run-up to the Hartlepool by-election

However, several Tory ministers have urged Durham Police to look again at the event, dubbed “beergate”.

Sir Keir said he had not been questioned by detectives since an initial probe earlier this year when the video first emerged. He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “[Police] put out a statement last week saying they’re not reinvestigating and they haven’t spoken to me.”

Describing the event, he added: “Restaurants and pubs were closed so takeaways were really the only way you could eat...at various points people went through the kitchen, got a plate, had some food and got on with their work.”

At the time, England was under rules that banned indoor gatherings of people from different households. However, there was an exemption for “work purposes”. Deputy leader Angela Rayner was also at the event, a claim Labour had previously denied. The party said it was a “mistake” to say she was not there.

Durham Police has confirmed it is not investigating any claims Sir Keir broke lockdown rules. It was reported today that a Met protection team accompanied Sir Keir on the trip and witnessed the group drinking and eating indoors.

Several Cabinet ministers have suggested police should reinvestigate the gathering after the Met fined Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak for breaking lockdown rules by attending the Prime Minister’s birthday party in the Cabinet room in Downing Street in June 2020.

Evidence of a dozen alleged parties held in Downing Street and across Whitehall during lockdown has been passed to the Met. At least two were attended by the Prime Minister. The Met said it would not make public the details of any more “partygate” fines until after the local elections tomorrow.