Voters could punish Keir & Co at ballot box in local elections

‘BEERGATE’ may hurt Labour at the ballot box in this week’s local elections, experts predicted last night.

Tory peer and polling analyst Lord Hayward said: ‘Beergate is dissipating the impact of Partygate. Two or three days ago, not many people knew about it but now there’s no question that they do. Keir Starmer has had a tough time from the broadcasters and was unable to say whether it was an error after bashing Boris for making errors.’

He added: ‘There is no question that southern England’s Waitrose Radio Tories have been more angry about Partygate. ‘But the existence of Beergate will have an impact to the extent that the anger will be aimed across all parties.’

He said seats to watch were Bury, Sunderland, Nuneaton and Walsall, where the Tories might do well. Sir Keir has denied that he broke Covid rules after pictures emerged of him swigging beer with colleagues last year. Tory activists said Beergate was starting to come up on doorsteps in the Midlands on Friday.

In Stoke, they said locals quoted ‘Beergate’ back to canvassers, saying of politicians: ‘They’re all the same, aren’t they.’