Sir Keir Starmer has said that the alleged lockdown "curry and beer gathering" currently under investigation by the police was purely an event for work purposes and did not breach any coronavirus rules.
Durham Constabulary announced on Friday that it was investigating claims an evening event attended by the Labour leader with other senior party figures and activists while campaigning last year might have broken the pandemic social distancing regulations. Police said they had overruled an earlier decision not to investigate after receiving what officers called “significant new information”. The force initially said that they did not believe an offence had been committed.
The police have not revealed what the additional details were that sparked the investigation but according to the Times, a key factor was confirmation that Angela Rayner, Sir Keir's deputy, had attended the evening. Labour had previously denied that she had been present.
