Nandy says it is ‘not boring to want to abide by rules you set’

‘I would find it deeply exciting to have a PM who is prepared to act with honour and integrity’

SIR KEIR STARMER’S premiership would be “deeply exciting”, Labour’s Lisa Nandy has said.

The shadow levelling-up secretary’s remarks follow claims that Sir Keir Starmer has had to appeal to his frontbench colleagues to stop briefing the press that he was boring.

Shadow cabinet ministers reportedly said that the Labour leader was “boring voters to death” and urged him to set out his priorities for government before the party conference in September.

But speaking on BBC One’s Sunday Morning, Ms Nandy said: “I don’t think it’s boring to want to abide by the rules that you set. To make the rules, break the rules, laugh about it and lie about it is what we’ve got at the moment.

“I would find it deeply exciting to have a prime minister who is prepared to act with honour and integrity and abide by the rules that he himself had made.”

She also said it is “absolute nonsense” that the party leader has been engaged in “succession planning” with members of his shadow cabinet, in case he has to resign over “beergate”.

Durham Constabulary is looking into whether the rules were violated after Sir Keir was caught on camera drinking a beer in an MP’S office after a day of campaigning for the local elections in Durham in April 2021.

At the time of the gathering, nonessential 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.

The Labour leader has said that if he given a fixed-penalty notice he would resign, as has his deputy Angela Rayner.

According to The Sunday Times, Sir Keir has told friends that he will not let Labour “become a basket case again” and that he does not want to see the party’s “hard-won gains be squandered” if he steps down as leader.

Earlier this month, Ms Rayner said that Sir Keir should “put some more welly” into speeches.