KEIR Starmer has not been fined over alleged lockdown breaches after an investigation by Durham police, saving his leadership.
The Labour leader and his deputy Angela Rayner have both escaped being slapped with fixed penalty notices over the so-called Beergate scandal.
Both had pledged to resign had they been fined – as they called on Boris Johnson to do when he was fined for breaking Covid rules during lockdown.
Starmer was filmed sharing a curry with Labour staffers and drinking a beer in the Miners' Hall in Redhills, Durham on April 30, 2021 during a break in campaigning work for their candidate in an upcoming by-election.
Full Durham Police statement pic.twitter.com/mQs8s3zIHS
— Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) July 8, 2022
The leader of the opposition had staked his political career on his innocence, insisting he had followed the rules but that should police fine him he would step down.
Police had previously ruled no breaches occurred but reopened their investigation after fresh evidence emerged.
The incident led Johnson at one fiery exchange over the dispatch box to brand the Labour leader "Sir Beer Korma", with the Prime Minister's allies accusing Starmer of hypocrisy for his resignation demands over lockdown breaches in Downing Street.
Speaking at a press conference called after it was revealed the Labour chief would not be fined, Starmer used his platform to explicitly rule out a deal with the SNP.
He said: "There will be no deal coming into a General Election and no deal coming out of a General Election.
"That's not just about a numbers game as far as I'm concerned, I want to be Prime Minister for the whole of the United Kingdom.
"I want a Labour Government for the whole of the United Kingdom.
"There is no basis for an alliance with a party which wants to break up the United Kingdom."
But he would not rule out making a deal with the LibDems, saying only he wants "a Labour majority".
A Labour spokesperson said: "Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner have always been clear that no rules were broken in Durham.
"The police have completed their investigation and have agreed saying that there is no case to answer."
The Prime Minister - who on Thursday said he would stand down as Tory leader - sparked fury after details of widespread rule-breaking during lockdown in Downing Street.
He, his wife Carrie and former chancellor Rishi Sunak were all issued fines for breaking the rules in 2020.
The Sue Gray report revealed a "culture" of binge drinking and rule-breaking at the heart of power under Johnson's watch.
In a statement, Durham Constabulary said the Labour leaders had "no case to answer for a contravention of regulations" because there was an exemption for "reasonably necessary work".
Starmer and campaigners in the Hartlepool by-election had been filmed tucking into a takeaway during a break in work by a student who leaked the footage to The Sun.
The election had been triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Mike Hill who quit over allegations of sexual harassment.
Labour lost the seat in a devastating swing to the Conservatives.
