But Labour’s Lisa Nandy says it is “absurd” to compare Sir Keir’s actions to the PM’s “serial partying”.
Image source, PA Media
Dominic Raab has accused Keir Starmer of “complete hypocrisy” after police launched an investigation into an event attended by the Labour leader in 2021.
When police investigated Covid rule-breaking in No 10, Sir Keir said the PM should go, but the Labour leader has now ruled out resigning himself.
Labour’s Lisa Nandy said it was “absurd” to compare Sir Keir’s actions with the PM’s “serial partying”.
She said her party leader was “not the sort of man to tear up the rulebook”.
Asked if Sir Keir should resign, the shadow communities secretary said the two situations were “not the same”.
When the Labour leader called on Boris Johnson to resign, “Downing Street was under investigation for 12 separate gatherings which we now know included karaokes, celebrations, leaving drinks, garden parties, pub quizzes and suitcases of wine,” she added.
She argued that to compare that with “a work meeting where people stopped to eat” was “pretty desperate” and accused the Conservatives and “their cheerleaders in the media” of “flinging mud”.
But Justice Secretary Mr Raab said the Labour leader had “a bunch of questions to answer” and accused him of “rank double standards” and “complete hypocrisy”.
He stopped short of saying Sir Keir should resign, insisting that the government was focused on issues that mattered more to voters, such as the cost of living.
In April 2021, Sir Keir was filmed drinking a beer in the constituency office of a Durham MP in the run-up to the Hartlepool by-election.
The Labour leader has insisted the visit was within in the rules as it was a work event – with food and drink being consumed in between doing work.
But an internal memo for the trip, obtained by the Mail on Sunday, scheduled an hour and twenty minutes for “dinner” – after which, the visit would conclude.
The coronavirus rules in place at the time meant it was illegal for people in England to socialise indoors with people from outside their household or support bubble.
There was an exemption for “work purposes”, although working from home was recommended in the guidance, but the rules did not mention socialising at work.
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Describing the April 2021 meal earlier this week, Sir Keir said that “at various points people went through to the kitchen, got a plate, had something to eat, and got on with their work”. He has also previously insisted he returned to work afterwards.
Durham police reviewed the footage in February and said they did not believe an offence had been committed.
But after Thursday’s local elections, the police said they had received “significant new information over recent days”.
“We can confirm that an investigation into potential breaches of Covid-19 regulations relating to this gathering is now being conducted,” the force said in a statement.
Asked about the Labour leader’s future, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said no-one was “above the law” and that it would be “extremely difficult” for a politician to continue after being fined by the police.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Sir Keir said he would not resign and that he would lead Labour into the next general election.
However, senior Labour backbencher Diane Abbott – a close ally of Sir Keir’s predecessor Jeremy Corbyn – said he should consider his position if he receives a police fine.
In January, the Labour leader tweeted: “after months of denials the prime minister is now under criminal investigations for breaking his own lockdown laws. He needs to do the decent thing and resign”.
The Metropolitan Police are continuing their investigation into 12 gatherings held in Downing Street and the Cabinet Office during 2020 and 2021.
Last month, Mr Johnson, his wife Carrie and the Chancellor Rishi Sunak, were fined by the police for attending a birthday gathering in Downing Street in June 2020.
