Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, is to be investigated by Durham Police following allegations he broke lockdown rules by drinking beer with colleagues in April 2021. The force had previously said it did not believe Sir Keir had breached the coronavirus rules that were in place at the time.
Durham police said today they would begin the investigation into the potential lockdown breaches after receiving “significant new information”. The announcement came the day after voting took place in the local elections and after pressure and more questions following the event in the Durham office of Mary Foy, the local MP
In a statement, the force said: “Earlier this year, Durham Constabulary carried out an assessment as to whether Covid-19 regulations had been breached at a gathering in Durham City on April 30 2021. At that time, it was concluded that no offence had been established and therefore no further action would be taken.
“Following the receipt of significant new information over recent days, Durham Constabulary has reviewed that position and now, following the conclusion of the pre-election period, we can confirm that an investigation into potential breaches of Covid-19 regulations relating to this gathering is now being conducted.”
The Labour leader has come under pressure since footage emerged of him drinking a beer with colleagues in April 2021 in Durham during campaigning for the Hartlepool by-election. He declined to answer questions from reporters in Carlisle over the investigation on Friday afternoon following confirmation from police.
At the time of the alleged gathering, non-essential 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. A Labour Party spokesperson said: “We’re obviously happy to answer any questions there are and we remain clear that no rules were broken.”
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said it was “only a matter of time” before Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer would be investigated by Durham Police over the allegations. Writing on Twitter, he said: “Only a matter of time. The law should be applied fairly and consistently across the country.”
The announcement came hours after the Labour leader celebrated taking three major London councils in the local elections. He previously said no restaurants or pubs were open and the hotel he and colleagues were staying in at the time of the alleged offence did not serve food, so “if you didn’t get a takeaway then our team wasn’t eating that evening”.
Richard Holden, the Conservative MP for North West Durham, said police were doing “exactly the right thing” in investigating potential lockdown breaches involving Sir Keir. Mr Holden, who had been pressing police to investigate after presenting new evidence, said: “It’s vital that the man who wants to be prime minister is held to the same standard as the Prime Minister and everybody else.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak are among those to have already been fined for breaking Covid laws.
